The Wounded Deer
by evafan24
Summary: Kaede has been in love with Shikamaru for about three years. When her feelings go unrequited, she tries to keep her true feelings from being discovered. Even if it means she'll end up hurt in the process. ShikamaruxOC, some KaedexOC
1. Chapter 1

_**"Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart."**_

**-Washington Irving**

**Disclaimer**: Naruto rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, but my OC Kaede and this fanfiction story belongs to me.

* * *

Kaede stared down at the pink envelope in her hands as she leaned against the counter of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. There were several thoughts were running through her mind all at once. She wondered how she would approach him, how would he react to her feelings, and would it even work out. Her stomach was in a blender, and she was starting to feel a bit queasy.

_'No! I've come too far now to be nervous! All I have to do is tell him how I feel. But...if he doesn't return my feelings, erm...I'd rather not think about that possibility right now.'_ Kaede shook her head to push the thought to the back of her mind.

"I didn't think I'd find you working here on your day off from the hospital." a lazy voice spoke behind Kaede, completely catching her off guard.

"S-Shika-kun?! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"

Shikamaru simply furrowed his brows together before giving her a lazy smirk. "You shouldn't be spacing out so much while you're working, you could get fired."

Kaede folded her arms over her chest, puffing her cheeks out. "So did you just come here to scold me on the job? Believe me; I get enough of that from Ino when I make a mistake with the flower arranging. It's harder than it looks."

Shikamaru's smirk faded before he slowly made his way over to the counter. "No, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about something." The way Shikamaru leaned over the counter, Kaede felt the sudden urge to tackle him and declare her feelings she's kept locked up all this time. She quickly chastised herself to wait and keep from doing anything rash.

"So, what is it?" Kaede inquired, trying to keep a nonchalant attitude.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his awkwardly, his eyes averting hers for a moment before he sighed in exasperation. It took nearly all of her Kaede's power to keep from squealing out about how cute he looked when he was nervous.

'_God, why does he have to be so cute?!'_ she mentally sighed.

"I'll tell you. Just promise you won't say a word to anyone about this." Shikamaru frowned.

"Sure, I promise."

"You swear you won't?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Don't say-"

"Okay, just tell me already dammit!" Kaede shouted with indignation. Shikamaru visibly flinched at her voice, sticking a pinky in his ear to keep his eardrums from shattering at her scream.

"Alright, alright, just quit yelling." Shikamaru sighed in defeat. "I need some advice for...picking out a gift."

"Picking out a gift? A gift for whom exactly?" Kaede raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Look, I'm not gonna say who, I just need some advice on what to give to her since her birthday is coming up. And I'm not so good at picking out gifts, especially ones for girls. I knew if I asked Ino or Choji about it, they'd never let me live it down. And don't even get me started on my Mom. It'd be too troublesome to deal with. So I figured, why not ask you?"

_'Well, my birthday is coming up soon. Maybe this is his way of trying to get me the perfect gift.'_ Kaede felt herself grow giddy at the thought.

Slowly, her lips curved into a mischievous smile. "So, who's the gift for? Is it for a special someone, or just a friend?" she teased while nudging him playfully in the arm.

He scowled, a faint red blush dusting his cheeks. "Like I said, I'm not gonna say any names. Just because I asked you for help, doesn't mean I'm gonna give you any hints on who it is."

"Aw, come on Maru-Maru-chan, it's only fair if I'm ever gonna help you pick out a gift." she whined.

"Kaede, I told you not to call me that! And whining like that isn't gonna work on me."

"Come on, please? I'll be your best friend if you tell me?"

His right eye twitched in irritation. "You are my best friend, and how you became my best friend at this point is really beyond me."

"Yeah, but I'll be your best friend forever!" she pouted her lower lip, giving him the signature puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, it's for a girl I've had a thing for a while now alright? Now are you gonna help me or not?"

_'Jackpot, it's gotta be me for sure!_' Kaede could hardly keep the grin off her face.

"Sure, what are friends for?"

"Thanks, so...what's that letter for?" Shikamaru pointed at the pink envelope that Kaede still holding onto. She looked down, quickly shoving it into the pocket of her work apron with a nervous laugh.

"O-Oh, nothing, just a letter I had to send to my...my Aunt! I-I figured I'd send her a letter and hear back from her about how she's doing back at my home town." Kaede looked off to the side.

Shikamaru stared at her with a skeptical look. He could tell she was lying, but he knew trying to get an answer out of her would be troublesome, so he shrugged the matter off.

"Okay, so here's my advice..." she started off.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow Shizune-sensei!"

"Alright, same time tomorrow!" Shizune waved. Kaede quickly changed out of her medical-nin uniform and back into her normal attire before leaving Konoha Hospital. All day long, Kaede had been anxious and nervous to finally telling Shikamaru how she felt after hiding her true feelings for him for almost three years.

She constantly feared if she told Shikamaru and he rejected her, things would never be the same between them again. She didn't want to screw up their friendship just because of a little crush. But with time, her 'little crush' developed into something much more than she had expected. Now at the age of fifteen, she felt as if she would burst if she tried to contain her growing feelings for him. So after some mental deliberation, Kaede finally decided she would take a chance and finally tell him how she feels._ 'Who knows, maybe we'll get to spend my birthday together. Just the two of us...'_

_'Okay, if I were Shikamaru, where would I go?'_ Kaede looked around. She quickly decided to head over to his favorite cloud watching spot which was on the roof of the Ninja Academy. As she walked up the stairs to roof, she paused when she heard Shikamaru's voice. She smiled before she stopped halfway up the stairs, quickly pulling out the love letter from her pocket.

_'This is it...'_ Kaede could feel her heart beating in her ears.

After taking a few deep breaths, Kaede sighed before she reached the final step. What she saw on the roof made her blood run cold. Shikamaru stood on the rooftop, handing a gift-wrapped box to a young woman with blonde hair in pigtails with a fan strapped to her back. Kaede's eyes doubled in size as she watched the woman take the gift and pull Shikamaru into a soft, yet sweet kiss. Kaede could feel her heart breaking in two as she watched the one she loved lip-locked with another woman.

_'So I wasn't the girl he was talking about after all. I suppose it was rather stupid of me to think something like that...'_ Kaede turned around before she could be seen, her warm tears flying behind her as they streamed down her face.

* * *

**Eva**: So tell me what you think, was it good, could use some improvement? I accept criticism, just no flames please. When it comes to writing, my ego is a bit fragile. -sheepish laugh-


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on Kaede-chan, it wasn't that bad," Ino comforted her friend.

"I mean look at the bright side, at least you found out the truth without having to spill your heart out and embarrass yourself in front of him." she continued with a meek shrug of her shoulders.

"What bright side," she flared up, causing Ino to slightly wince at her tone.

"Whether I told him or not, either way this just proves I obviously don't measure up to his standards for his so called 'dream girl'. I can't believe I was dumb enough to believe that he was getting a birthday present for me." Kaede muttered.

Seriously, how would you feel if you were about to spill your guts out to your crush of two years, only to find him making out with another woman? Yeah, really adds the cherry to your sundae doesn't it?

"Just don't let it get you down too much okay? Besides, why just settle on Shikamaru when there are other guys out there that are much hotter and cooler?"

"Because he was my first love Ino. Sure, he was lazy and complained a lot, but he's actually a really nice and funny guy once you get past that. And I don't want to just settle for any random cute guy that walks by." she murmured sadly.

"Well you know what they say; _tis better to have love and lost than to have never have loved at all_!" she quoted, throwing her hands in the air in a dramatic way.

Kaede shot a glare at her blond-haired friend. "Is this you're way of trying to comfort me? Because if it is, you're not doing a very good job." The two of them stayed silent for a moment awkwardly, and Kaede frowned in response running a hand through her hair.

"I-I'm sorry," Kaede murmured.

"I'm just..." she trailed off. Ino placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded in understanding.

"It's okay, I totally understand. If I were in the same situation I'd probably do the same thing, you just need some time to vent, that's all."

"I guess."

"Look Kaede, you need to forget about Shikamaru, or you'll never be able to move on if you keep moping about it. How bout we go out tonight and hang around at the Shopping District? It's both a place to see and be seen by cute guys." she suggested with a wink and a nudge.

This suggestion only made her frown. Kaede wasn't interested in looking for another guy, she wanted _**him**_, her best friend. And the fact that he was already with someone else, made her only feel sick to her stomach. Especially since she still harbored feelings for the lazy chunnin that shall remain unrequited.

"I think I'm gonna pass on your offer Ino. Maybe some other time okay?"

She stayed silent for a moment before nodding her head. "Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me." she patted her back sympathetically before getting off her bed and walking out Kaede's room.

As her eyes wandered around the room aimlessly, then paused as she took notice of an old photo sitting on her white dresser. She slowly stood up, pushing herself off the bed and taking the framed photo into her hands. Her thumb wiped off a smudge of dust on the sides. It was a picture of Kaede and Shikamaru taken two almost three years ago, when she had first arrived in Konoha.

'I wish we could go back...back to the old days...' she thought, her vision growing blurry as tears clouded her vision.

* * *

**Eva: Sorry I took so long to update, I just never got around to uploading it on here even though I've had this chapter created on Quizilla months ago. -sweatdrop- I know this chapter is short, but I didn't want to give too much away in one chapter. I plan to give some background details on how Shikamaru and Kaede actually became good friends before everything went down hill. So look forward to reading chapter three! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

*snore*

"Shikamaru..."

*zzz*

"Shikamaru, this isn't the time to be sleeping in class!" Iruka shouted, throwing his chalk at him as if it were a kunai. It smacked him square in the forehead, causing him to wake up from his peaceful slumber. He grumbled a few incoherent profanities under his breath, rubbing the red mark on his forehead from the impact of the chalk.

"Hey, what was that for? I was having a good nap." he muttered with a yawn.

Iruka glared at him. "Which is precisely why I did it in the first place. I won't allow you to sleep in this classroom and treat it like it's your bedroom. You can sleep at home!" he chastised. A stress mark appeared on his forehead when he saw Shikamaru wasn't even looking in his direction. He was staring out at the window watching the clouds float by.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, just tuning you out." he murmured under his breath, yawning briefly. Some of the students had overheard his little comment and they began to giggle quietly, whilst Iruka was fuming.

"Alright that's it! Detention afterschool!"

He merely rolled his eyes and his eyes failed to leave the clouds until he heard the door suddenly burst open, revealing a girl leaning against the doorframe while trying to catch her breath. "Sorry, I'm...late. I got lost...trying to...look for...the classroom." she managed to say as she panted.

He raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar student, but turned his head back to the window, not really caring about who she was or what the hell she was doing here. She already seemed like a troublesome girl in his eyes just by looking at her.

Iruka turned around and smiled at the silver-haired girl with grey eyes. "Oh, you must be the new student then right?"

She nodded putting on a smile, quickly bowing before Iruka-sensei. "Y-yes, that's me."

"I'll be your instructor for this class, Iruka-sensei. Would mind introducing yourself to the class then? Maybe even tell them a little bit about yourself to clear up any questions the class might have for you."

"Nope, not at all." She quickly headed to the center of the classroom, trying to ignore all the stares she was getting from her new classmates. She figured being the newbie; everyone would bombard her with tons of questions.

"My name's Kaede Himawari and I just moved in here from the Land of Greens. I'm currently staying with the Yamanaka family and I'm hoping to learn as much as I can to get prepared for becoming a great medical-ninja." Iruka merely smiled in reply with a nod.

"Alright Kaede-chan, have a seat anywhere you'd like." Kaede scans the back of the room and her eyes finally take sight of the familiar blonde she was supposed to walk to school with this morning. She takes the empty seat next to her before shooting her trademark scowl in her direction.

"Why didn't you wake me up this morning Ino? You were supposed to show me around and it took me forever just to locate which classroom I'm supposed to come to." Kaede pouts.

"Sorry, but I had to leave the house early to try to snag a seat next to Sasuke-kun today. But Ms. Billboard Brow ends up getting here before me and gets to sit next to him! Can you believe her? Trying to steal my man away from me like that, what a cow!" she flared, clenching her fists.

"Mind holding the conversation until after class ladies?" Iruka scolded.

"Sorry sensei," they apologized in unison.

* * *

"Oi, Ino-chan. I didn't get much of a chance to look around Konoha since I've been so busy unpacking everything. Do you think you could show me around a little today? My sense of direction around here is pretty useless around here."

"I can't, Mom's making me go grocery shopping for tonight's dinner."

"Great, who's supposed to show me around now?"

"I dunno, ask someone else I guess. Look, I'll meet you back at the house later alright?"

Before Kaede could get another word in, Ino rushed out the classroom and she sighed in defeat. Minutes later, as Kaede began to gather her things, the classroom quickly cleared out. She found herself standing in an vacant empty classroom. If you count out the sleeping boy with his head laying down on the desk, snoring softly.

Kaede sighed under her breath, her shoulders sagging slightly in defeat. "Well, what've I got to lose if I ask him? Might as well." She cautiously walked over to him, gently poking him a couple of times to wake him from his peaceful slumber. Just before she could wake him up from his peaceful slumber, the door slid open and Iruka walked in carrying a handful of papers. She quickly stepped back from him, laughing sheepishly.

"H-Hi Iruka-sensei, I was just...leaving."

"Oh I see. Did you need something?"

"W-well the thing is, Ino was supposed to show me around Konoha today since I haven't gotten a tour of the place yet. And she ditched me so I'm not sure who else to ask at this point. Well, maybe that guy over there, but probably not if he's too occupied to catch up on his sleep." she said with a meek shrug.

Iruka looked over at Shikamaru and sighed pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation. "That Shikamaru..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up when a sudden thought came to mind.

"Oh, I don't think he'll mind showing you around."

"Um, you sure?" she asked a bit skeptical. "Because I can just find someone else, it's not that big of a deal."

"Nope, this'll be his personal assignment for the day. Shikamaru!" Seconds later, his head came up off his desk when he heard his name practically reverberate through his ears.

"I need you to give Kaede-chan here a nice tour of Konoha."

"Huh, why do I gotta do it?"

"Well the way I see it, you've got two choices. You can either show her around Konoha as part of your punishment or I assign you a eight-hundred word essay on why you shouldn't fall asleep in my class." The thought of even picking up a pencil sounded so tiring to him, too much work.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this, such a drag." he complained as he walked through the village with Kaede at his side.

"Oh c'mon, it's not that big of a deal. Would you rather be working on a mindless essay for Iruka-sensei?"

She flashed a cheesy grin when he sighed in defeat, shaking his head in annoyance. "I rest my case."

He showed her a few places around the village, briefly explaining about them or a little background here and there. Overall, they didn't talk much during the trip, it almost seemed a bit awkward.

"So you do anything for fun around here?" she asked placing her hands on the back of her head as they walked down the road. He merely shrugged, staring up at the clouds.

"I suppose, but I doubt you'd call it fun. You'd probably just end up being bored to death."

"Humor me..."

"Cloud watching, sleeping, and a little Shogi here and there." Shikamaru shrugged carelessly.

She stared at him in disbelief. Was this guy serious? "That sounds like kind of stuff you'd do if you were an old man." She said half-jokingly.

"So?"

A low rumble rose from Kaede's belly and she laughed nervously, while his eyebrow twitched. "I'm hungry,"

"And...?"

"Know any good places to eat around here?" Kaede smiled sheepishly.

* * *

"Mmm, not bad. Not bad at all." she concluded as she slurped up her noodles from her bowl of miso ramen. She looked over at Shikamaru who was busy finishing up his own bowl of ramen.

"So, why're you staying with Ino?"

"Huh?"

"You mentioned that you're staying with the Yamanaka family earlier in class today?"

"Oh yeah, that. My parents were on pretty good terms with their family and I made a deal with my parents that if I was going to become a medical ninja in the Leaf Village, I'd have to stay with the Yamanaka family till I'm old enough to be out on my own."

"Oh,"

"Why do you ask?"

He shrugs in a bored fashion. "No reason, just wondering."

She inwardly sighs under her breath. _'Another short conversation, maybe this wasn't the best idea. He doesn't seem to want to be here anymore than I do.'_

"You know we don't have to-" Kaede was cut off midsentence.

"Oi, three bowls of Pork Ramen over here!" A boy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit suddenly walked in Ichiraku Ramen and took the next empty seat which was right next to Kaede.

"Great, it's the loud-mouth. Like I need to deal with him at a time like this." Shikamaru murmured under his breath followed by a groan.

"Hey, whatcha' doing here Shikamaru? I didn't expect that you'd be here." Naruto greeted him with his usual cheeky grin.

"Eating a bowl of ramen, what's it look like I'm doing Naruto?"

_'And I guess he doesn't think much of this Naruto.'_ she thought staring at the annoyed expression plastered on his face.

"Geez, just askin' no need to be so hostile about it." He pouted.

Kaede shrugs to herself and continues eating her ramen, until she finds Naruto staring at her.

"Um, it's not polite to stare." she said looking away a bit uncomfortable.

He blushed faintly and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't help but notice you look a little familiar. Have I seen you around before?" he asks.

"You seriously can't be that dense can you Naruto? She just transferred to our class today. Kaede Himawari, ring any bells?" Shikamaru reminded.

"O-oh yeah, you're the new girl right? My names Naruto Uzumaki, remember it because someday I'm gonna be Hokage!" he exclaimed jabbing his thumb in his chest proudly.

_'Frankly, I'm more surprised that Shikamaru even knew my first and last name._' Kaede thought.

"Nice to meet you Naruto."

"Wait..." He stares between the both of them a few times, his lips curving into a devious, yet sly looking smile.

"So, are you guys on...like a date?" he held up his pinky finger, snickering under his breath.

Shikamaru nearly choked on ramen hearing that and Kaede couldn't help but get a little flustered. She stared at him when he was beginning turning a faint shade of pink as well, shooting a glare at him. "N-No! You idiot, don't make such quick assumptions! We were just-"

"Actually we were just leaving. C'mon Shikamaru, later Naruto!" she stood up from her chair putting some money on the table and grabbing his wrist.

"Wait hold on a sec!" Shikamaru said trying to pull his wrist from her grip. She simply waved Naruto off and ignored Shikamaru's protests before practically dragging him away. Once they were far enough, she let go of his wrist and he sighed tiredly, thankful that she didn't cut off his circulation.

"What was that about?" Shikamaru asks, rubbing his wrist.

"You wanted to leave right? I can tell you didn't want to deal with him so I figured that was the best time to." Kaede shrugged.

"Yeah, but he's probably gonna think we're dating or something if you didn't deny it!"

"Well who cares what he thinks. We're not going out or anything so that's all that matters right?"

"Fine, if you say so."

"Okay, onward then Maru-Maru!" she pointed her index finger down the road and started walking off, leaving him standing there.

"Wait, did you just call me Maru-Maru? What kind of nickname is that?" he raised an eyebrow as if questioning her sanity.

"It's my nickname for you, your name it too _troublesome_ to remember so I made it shorter."

"Man, you're really are something else aren't you?" he said with a sigh.

"Guess so!" she said with a cheeky grin.

_'Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all, he may even be a fun person to tease and push his buttons once in a while._' she thought laughing under her breath.

"What're you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing." She smiled innocently.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kaede and Shikamaru sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes-"

"Naruto, if you don't shut your mouth right now I'll...aw forget it. It's a total waste of time wasting my energy on you. It's not worth it." Shikamaru sighed while rubbing his temples with a look that spoke that he was getting extremely annoyed and tired.

Kiba laughed, throwing anarm over his shoulder. "Don't get so worked up about it, he was just joking around you know?" he flashed his canines and Shikamaru proceeded to take his arm off him while shooting a glare.

"Yeah, well his jokes are starting to get on my nerves. Ever since I showed Kaede around the school, all these crazy rumors have been flying around that Kaede and I are dating or something. Whenever we're within two feet of each other, people will start teasing me or bugging me about it. It's driving me crazy, even Choji ended up asking me about it earlier today." he explained rubbing his temples.

"So what'd you tell him?" Naruto asked.

"What do you think? Told him we're nothing more than friends, probably acquaintance is a better way to put it since I just met her! She hasn't even been here for a week, let alone three days."

"What about Kaede, has she said anything about this?" Kiba asks with a raised eyebrow.

"She just makes the situation worse by not saying anything at all. The fact that she isn't speaking up about it and saying the rumors aren't true is just making things worse. Nobody is going believe me unless she can agree with me."

"Guess you'll have to convince her that she should."

"And speak of the devil..." Shikamaru grumbled.

*Click*

*Click*

"Wow, this camera works wonders." she said as she flashed another picture of a random student.

"Kaede, where did you get that camera?" Shikamaru asked raising a brow.

"Oh, a few days ago actually. I got a package in the mail from my parents, they sent me this camera to take photos of anything that will show how I'm doing or just some pictures for myself to keep as well." she shrugged her shoulders.

_'Great, if it's not one thing with her, it's another.'_ Shikamaru thought with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, cute puppy at twelve o' clock!" She suddenly zoomed in with her lens to get an up close picture of Akamaru. Who merely cocked his head to the side cutely before flashing a picture. He whined a bit at the sudden flash of light, but shook it off. She quickly turned her head in Shikamaru's direction, holding her camera in her hand.

"So how about a picture Shikamaru?" she smiled anxiously for his answer.

"I'd rather not..." he mutters turning away.

"Aw c'mon please?" she whined.

"It depends, what are the chances of you shutting up right now?"

"Slim to none, unless you let me take your picture." she said flashing a smile.

"Fine,"

"Okay! One...Two...Three!"

*Click*

"There, you happy?"

She pouted her lower lip, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, you didn't even smile."

"You didn't say I had to smile." he said with a faint smirk.

"C'mon, you're not being fair Maru-Maru." she whined.

Kiba snickered under his breath. "Maru-Maru?" Shikamaru shot Kiba a glare that clearly told him to shut up in which he quickly obeyed like the good little puppy he was.

"Fine, but don't think I'm just gonna let you slide through this so easily." She walked away in a huff before heading back to her seat next to Ino. Shikamaru sighed in relief and raised an eyebrow at the laughing Kiba.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"You! You guys even got pet names for each other! Man this is just too funny!" he said in the midst of his laughter.

"Why me?" he slammed his head on the desk with a loud groan.

* * *

"Hey, Choji." Shikamaru greeted lazily, holding his bento. He sat down next to him on the bench and he opened it up. He forcefully pulled his chopsticks apart and shoved a piece of sushi in his mouth.

"Erm, I take it there's something wrong seeing your...violent chewing?" Choji replies a bit unsure.

Shikamaru swallowed the food in his mouth and sighed. "Just annoyed, people have been going on about how I've got a crush on Kaede."

"Oh, her again..." He said while opening up his rice ball and taking a huge bite.

"Yeah, her again. People aren't gonna stop talking about this unless she says otherwise. They aren't gonna listen if I try and deny it."

"Have you ever tried talking to her about it?" Choji asked munching on his second rice ball.

"Tried it, didn't work." he replied bluntly.

"Well, it's either try to convince her to help, or wait until the rumors stop."

He knew he didn't have much of a choice at this point. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a loud groan. "Such a drag..."

* * *

"I really don't see what the problem is Shikamaru, why do you care what people think or say about us? We're not going out or anything, so there's no reason to get so worked up about all this. If you just ignore it like I do, the rumors will eventually stop." she said, taking a bite of her stuffed egg roll from her bento box.

"That's the problem, it hasn't stopped. Normally I couldn't care less about what people say or think about me. But I've been putting up with all these stupid rumors for way too long. So could you at least help me out next time it happens instead of just not saying anything?"

"Hm..." she pondered, tapping her chin with her chopsticks.

"Kaede!" he sighed exasperated.

"Okay, I'll help ya out. But it's gonna cost you!" she agreed.

He sweat-dropped, drooping his head in defeat._ 'Figures, they always want something in return.'_

"Fine, what do you want from me? Money?" he asks, pulling his wallet from his pocket.

She shook her head and pushed his wallet away. "Nope," She grins as she flashes out her camera which makes him sigh in response.

"What, again?"

"Yes, you didn't smile in the last picture and I plan to keep these photos. Probably make a scrapbook out of them. So if you want me to help you with your problem, help me first."

"Fine, let's do this before I help me help you break your camera."

"Eh?"

"Forget it; just take the damn picture already."

"Okay!" She held onto the button and he put on a small smile.

"One...Two...Three!"

*Click*

She blinked slightly surprised to find that the camera didn't take the picture. She looked at the number for how many pictures were left.

"Oops, all out of film." she laughed sheepishly, storing away her camera.

He eye twitched in annoyance. "You can't be serious, after all that trouble you went through to take the lousy picture?"

She rubbed the back of her neck laughing nervously. She stopped and her eyes suddenly lit up, her lips curving into a smile. "Don't worry, I've got a better idea!"

"What?"

"You'll find out..." she said with a smile.

* * *

"Y-You're joking right?" They stood in front of the old man who stood beside an old-fashioned stand up camera.

"Nope, I told you I wanted to take your picture. So we're gonna have it taken; professionally done by a photographer."

"Fine, whatever. Just as long as you keep your end of the deal." He sat down on the bench to get his picture taken. She took this opportunity and sat down beside him and scooting beside him so close their knees were touching, earning a questioning glance from him.

"A little close there, I thought you said you wanted my picture."

"Yeah, but I wanna be in this one too. I had to pay a lot of money just for this one photo."

He sighed under his breath in defeat and looked directly in the camera when the camera man stood behind it. She flashed her cheesy trademark grin flashing a peace sign with her fingers. While Shikamaru just put on a small smile, glad this camera business was finally over. For now at least anyway...

*Click*

"Such a nice couple you two make." the old man commented with a feeble smile.

He frowned in response. "Look Gramps we're not-"

"Sorry sir, but we're just friends...right?" Kaede interrupted with a smile.

"Erm, yeah...friends." he hesitantly agreed a bit surprised at her answer.

"Oh, my mistake." the old man apologized.

'Well, I suppose that's a start.' he smiled faintly at Kaede. She stood up from the bench, smiling down at Shikamaru.

"C'mon, we gotta head back to the academy before Iruka-sensei scolds us." She grabbed his wrist to pull him off the bench and back to the academy. Before the two could reach it, Ino was heading the same direction, but saw the both of them together...Kaede holding his wrist.

"Ohmigod! Kaede-chan, why didn't you tell me you were going out with Shikamaru?" Ino gasped, pointing down at their hands.

_'This is gonna take longer than I thought.'_ he sweat-dropped, fighting back a blush from embarrassment.


	5. Chapter 5

Seven Days.

Seven long uneventful days since the incident.

When Kaede witnessed her best friend/crush with another girl, stealing his first kiss.

Since then, she's done all she could to avoid him. And she did what she did best to keep herself busy.

Working.

"Thanks for all your help Kaede-san. We actually got a lot more done with your help." Shizune thanked with a soft smile.

"Oh, it's no problem sensei. I've got some free time on my hands and I figured I could take a few extra shifts to help out around here." Kaede faked a smile in return.

Lie.

It was the only thing she could do to keep her mind off Shikamaru. And the only excuse to use to avoid having to face him. She didn't want to talk to him after witnessing what had happened a week ago. Not now...not without wanting to break down in tears.

"Anyway, lately there have been more patients coming in and the supply of the medicine is starting to run a little low. So coule you go and pick up some deer antler for me? We need it to make more medicine."

"Um, sure I can do that." Kaede said.

"Great, just stop by the Nara household and tell them Shizune sent you."

She felt her breath get caught in her throat, like she could hardly breathe. That was the last thing she wanted to do, she's spent all this time trying to avoid him and now she suddenly has to face him again.

_'What am I supposed to tell him when I see him? Sorry that I've been avoiding you for a week because I saw you practically shoving your tongue down some girl's throat?'_

Okay, well maybe the kiss didn't look as intense as she had said it was, but that was beside the point.

"A-Alright, be back soon." she forced a smile before throwing her medic-nin standard coat onto the rack and heading out the hospital and towards the Nara household.

_'I can't believe I actually thought I could avoid him. No wonder I was getting an uneasy feeling when she mentioned deer, that is what his last name means. I guess I can't get out of this one.'_ she thought with a frown.

_'Hold on a sec,'_ she suddenly stopped walking, the wheels in her mind suddenly starting to turn.

_'Maybe he's...maybe he isn't home. Yeah, I bet Tsunade-sama has given him a lot of work to do to keep him busy. So maybe I won't have to face him now.'_ she thought with a hopeful smile.

"Kaede-chan! It's been a while hasn't it? What brings you here?"

"Hello Yoshino-san, Shizune-sensei sent me to come pick up some of your deer antler."

"Oh you don't need to be so formal, call me Yoshino and drop the honorifics, I'm not that old." she said with a small laugh.

"Oh, right sorry..." she walked inside before sliding the front door shut.

"So, would you like me to make you some tea while you wait?"

"No, I'll be alright. Shizune-sensei will probably scold me if I'm late."

"Nonsense, I don't see why you can't have some tea and relax a little while you're here."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Good, I'll go start on it."

The house stayed silent except for the sound of Yoshino brewing the tea in the kitchen and the ticking of the clock. "So, what have you been up to lately? You haven't stopped by in a while..." she asked from the kitchen

"Oh, I've just been you know...really busy with work lately. More patients are starting to come in and my hands are getting kind of tied up now."

"Well just be careful not to burn yourself out. You need to know when to relax once in a while alright?"

She giggles with a nod of her head. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Of course you know as well as I do my son knows how to do that with his eyes closed." Yoshino chuckled.

"Yeah..." her smile slowly faltered at the mention of Shikamaru. Yoshino came back into the dining room and set a cup of hot tea in front of Kaede. She watched as the steam began to rise from the cup, hesitantly picking the cup and taking a small sip before quickly placing it back down on the plate, nearly scolding her tongue.

"Guess I should've warned you about how hot it was," she quickly bowed in apology. "Anyway, I probably shouldn't keep you waiting. I know that deer antler is important, I'll go bring you some." She hurried off to the back of the room to head out to the back yard.

Kaede smiled faintly before taking another sip from her tea cup. _'Maybe I won't have to face him today after all. Guess I just worried myself over nothing.'_ she thought to herself. She quickly turned her head when she heard the front door slide open.

"Hey I'm home."

Kaede's eyes doubled in size, hearing the familiar lazy voice echo through the room. She quickly stood up from her chair in response her hand accidentally pushing the tea cup off the table, knocking it to the floor with a loud smash.

"Mom, everything alright in there?" he quickly rushed to the source of the crash, but quickly stopping when he saw it was only Kaede standing in front of him.

_'Dammit, why did this have to happen now?'_ she cursed in her mind staring at the broken tea cup. She refused to even look up at him, just hearing his voice was making her feel all those emotions at coming all out at once.

"K-Kaede? What're you doing here?" he asked. She cautiously took a step back staring at the tea that was now soaking the wooden floor.

"I-I'm sorry...my hand slipped and-" she babbled.

"Don't worry about it. We've got plenty of cups around the house anyway." he reassured her.

"Right..." She bent down on her knees to pick up some of the broken pieces. Shikamaru had sat down next to her to help her clean up. His hand reached out for another piece and their hands brushed up against each other causing her hand to jerk back. He raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She picked up the remaining pieces and threw them away and cleaned the tea off the floor. She averted her gaze to the floor with a frown, not daring to even steal a glance at him.

"I-I really should get going." She turned her heal to leave until she felt a sudden jerk at her wrist.

"We need to talk..."

* * *

**Evafan24**: Wow, bad way to leave you guys hanging huh? I feel sort of bad for doing it, but I don't want to put in everything in one chapter. It's fun to build suspense once in a while. Anyway, reviews and messages are welcome as always. ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Kaede forced her eyes to look towards the floor to avoid looking at him. He quickly noticed her reaction when he had grabbed her wrist, and he gently squeezed onto it as if to reassure her.

Her head quickly shot up from the floor, her gray eyes now looking into his warm hazel eyes. But the look in her eyes, seemed to give off a somewhat less cheerful gaze than her usual one.

"T-Talk? About what?" she asked cautiously.

He released his grip from her wrist and sighed a bit. "Troublesome, I haven't heard from you in a while. I just wanted to see how everything was going. Mom's been nagging my ear off about how you haven't come by for visit."

"I've just been busy with work, Shizune-sama's got me working more shifts lately." she lied with a meek shrug.

"Well, you're not busy now are you?" he arched a brow.

"I guess I could spare a minute."

"Alright, fine with me."

Shikamaru lead her over to the couch in the living room and they sat down beside each other. Kaede could feel herself growing more uneasy as they sat in silence. She couldn't help but stare out the window every couple of seconds anxiously to see if Yoshino had returned with the deer antler she had come for.

_'What's taking her so long?'_ she thought biting on the lower end of her lip.

"So, what brings you out here?" he asked.

She quickly snapped out from her thoughts and turned her head towards him. "O-Oh, sensei sent me here to grab some deer antler."

"I see..." he trailed off. She could've sworn she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone, but she ignored it.

"A-Anyway, I should-"

"Kaede," he quickly cut her off.

"W-What is it?"

"I figured I should...explain it's partly my fault why it seems like you might not have heard from me in a while too."

_'Guess it's better than him thinking that rather than knowing that I was avoiding him this entire time.'_

"You don't have to, it's fine really." she replied.

"Just hear me out alright?" he said with a tired sigh.

She stayed silent, but nodded her head in reply. "Remember when I asked you for advice last week on what kind of birthday present I should get for a girl I liked?"

"Y-Yeah, I remember."

_'How could I forget that? And I had gotten my hopes up thinking I was the girl he was talking about. And I had gotten so worked up for what? Nothing...nothing but pain and unrequited love.'_

"Well, I had done what you said, and she really liked the gift. I asked her out and...we've been hanging out a bit more since then. So much so that I never got around to come and see you, but since my girlfriend and I both work together it's kind of inevitable that we'll be seeing eachother, but that's no excuse. And I'm sorry for that..."

Just hearing those words wanted to make her break down in tears again. But she managed to force all her sadness down with a smile. "You don't have to apologize, I totally understand Shikamaru. I'm glad everything worked out for you. I'm...happy for you." she managed to say it without sounding the least bit bitter or upset.

His mouth curved into a meek smile with a nod. "Yeah, it if weren't for you, I doubt we'd be going out. I have you to thank for that."

And somehow, that seemed like the biggest mistake she ever made.

"R-Really, I'm glad I could...help. That's what friends are for right?"

"Yeah, you're a really good friend you know that?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly in response at his touch, slowly brushing his hand off her shoulder. He blinked owlishly a bit surprised at her reaction when she suddenly stood up.

"K-Kaede-chan?"

"S-Sorry, I-"

She was cut off by the sound of the sliding door. Yoshino returned from the back yard, holding a brown bag with the deer antler inside. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting! Oh...am I interrupting something?" Yoshino asked.

"No, just a little small talk we were finishing up." Kaede reassured taking the bag of deer antler.

"Oh, well it's almost lunch time. would you like to stay for a little lunch?" Yoshino offered.

"It's alright, I'm running late as it is. I'll just go grab something on the way back to work."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you're always welcome to stay and eat."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I get hungry for a good home-cooked meal. Anyway, I'll...seeya." she waved them off before rushing out the door. Yoshino folded her arms over her chest with a small frown.

"Well, that's odd. Normally she isn't so persistent about leaving in such a hurry without having something to eat first." she pondered out loud. She turned to Shikamaru expectantly.

"Did you two get into an argument or something?"

"No, nothing like that..."

"I hope she's alright, I can't help but feel a little concerned for her." Yoshino frowned a little in concern.

_'Yeah, I can't help but wonder a little myself...'_ Shikamaru thought, staring at the front door.


	7. Chapter 7

_"__You don't have to apologize, I totally understand Shikamaru. I'm glad everything worked out for you. I'm...happy for you."  
_  
A frustrated sigh escapes the lazy chunin's lips as he thought back on Kaede's words. His tried to believe everything was alright like Kaede had said a few days ago...but it sure didn't feel like it. The Kaede he knew wasn't prone to acting so strange.

_'Something's up...'_ he thought.

"Shikamaru," a voice called out.

He opened one eye before he sat up from his cloud-watching spot and looked over to who was calling his name. He waved his hand in a lazy manner before he sat up from his spot.

"Hey Choji." he greeted back, scooting over to make room for his slightly chubby friend. Choji pulled out his bag of barbecue flavored chips before pulling them open and began to munch loudly.

"So, what brings you out here? I thought I'd find you hanging out with Temari today." he said with a mouthful of chips.

"Nah, she had to go back to Sunagakure to deliver some documents to the Kazekage that were for the upcoming chunnin exams. She told me she'd be back in a couple of days."

"I see, so what's on your mind?"

"Hm?"

"I know you too well Shikamaru, I can tell you've got something on your mind." he chuckled.

"Well, Kaede-chan came over to my place yesterday." he admitted with a tired sigh.

"So what's the problem?"

"She's just been acting strange, that's all. And I can't figure out what's her problem lately. Knowing me, I'm not gonna be able to let this go till I figure it out, as tiresome as that sounds."

"Did you ever consider this might have something to do with you and Temari?"

"Temari? What's she got to do with Kaede-chan?"

"Well, you've been spending a lot more time with Temari right? Maybe Kaede's just feeling a little left out seeing that her best friend is dating now. Like he doesn't have time for her anymore and he's leaving her behind." he explained.

"But when I told Kaede-chan about getting a gift for Temari in the first place, she seemed all for the idea."

"Maybe, but she could've been lying."

"Gah, why do women always have to be so damn complicated?" he groaned as he began rubbing his temples. All this talk about how women think and respond was starting to give him a headache.

Choji chuckled in response. "Don't take my word for it, why don't you ask Ino, she is the expert after all when it comes to stuff like this." he suggested.

"Hm, guess you're right. Have you seen her around today?"

"Yeah, she told me she was gonna be busy planning a party today."

"A party?"

"Yeah, didn't she tell you?"

_'Shit, is it really today?'_ he pondered, with a slightly panicked look.

"Seeya Choji, I've got something I need to take care of."

"Hey wait-" He watched his lazy friend walk off in a hurry before he could respond. He smiled a little, watching him disappear.

* * *

*whine*

"It'll be alright, just hold still okay?" Kaede reassured in a low whisper.

Kaede was currently in the middle of healing a small injured dog at the Inuzuka Household along with Kiba's older sister, Hana assisting her.

"There, all finished."

She smiled softly once she finished healing the injured dog's leg and gently wrapped it up in bandage wrap. The dog licked Kaede's hand affectionately earning a small laugh in return. Hana smiled at Kaede gratefully.

"Thanks Kaede, I doubt I'd be able to finish the job without your help, what with things being hectic both at home and my job."

"It's no trouble, I've had some free time on my hands so I don't really mind." she replied.

"Anyway, I think I'll be able to take the rest from here. Here's a little something for your troubles." She pulled out her wallet from her pocket and took out some cash before handing it to her.

Kaede blinked in surprise before she gently pushed the money away. "You don't have to do that Hana-senpai..."

Hana persistantly pushed the money into her hands. "Seriously, take it. Just think of it as...a birthday gift from me."

"B-Birthday, but how did you-"

"Shizune-san told me, so c'mon take it!"

Kaede sighed, but smiled before she took the money and shoved it in her pocket. "Alright then, I really appreciate it. Just give me a holler if you need an extra assistant to help you out. I'm your girl!"

Hana chuckled with a nod of her head. "Hai, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Hope you have a good birthday!"

"Thanks, I'll seeya around!" Kaede waved as she headed out the sliding door.

* * *

_'Hm, maybe I can stop over by Ichiraku for a bite to eat before I head back home.'_ she thought staring down at her watch.

"Finally found ya!" Her thoughts were cut short when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked away from her thoughts.

"W-What!"

"Shhh, calm down it's me."

She turned her head to see Ino dragging her by her wrists. "I-Ino? Where are you taking me?"

"You wouldn't want me to spoil the surprise now would you?" she said with a grin.

Kaede sighed under her breath in defeat. Once Ino's made up her mind about something, there was no point in trying to talk her out of it.


	8. Chapter 8

_'Idiot,' Shikamaru berated in his mind. 'How could I've forgotten her birthday?'_

The lazy Nara rushed through the crowded streets, trying to find his way over to the Konoha Shopping District to pick up Kaede's birthday present. He remembered Ino talking about Kaede's birthday coming up, but once she started talking nonstop about it, he ended up tuning her out.

::Flashback::

Shikamaru let out a loud yawn as his lazy brown orbs stared into the sky, whilst staring intently at the white clouds.

"SHI-KA-MA-RU!" Ino emphasized each syllable, snapping him out of his usual daydream with a forceful grip of his chuunin vest.

"W-What the hell Ino-" he was cut off abruptly when he noticed her usual blue eyes had a certain angry aura in them, something that reminded him of the glare his mom usually gave him. Scary...

"Don't 'What the Hell' me! I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes and what do you do, ignore me!" she yelled, tightning her grip on his vest.

"Well what do you expect, I just finished about three hours worth of paper work for the Hokage." he mumbled, averting his gaze from her piercing glare.

"Regardless, the least you could do is acknowledge me or say something to show that you're at least paying attention!"

"Maybe I would if you'd stop screaming at me..." Scratch that, he probably wouldn't even bother listening, knowing how Ino had the tendency to talk a person's ear off.

"Ugh, hopeless!" she sighed in defeat, shoving him away as she released her grip on his vest. Choji looked between his two teammates, while munching on a bag of his favorite barbeque flavored chips.

"C'mon Ino, cut him a little slack. He has been working more than usual lately, what with the chuunin exams coming up, he's busier than ever. I'm surprised he's not trying to catch up on some of the sleep he's missed from working overtime for the Hokage." Choji said, swallowing a mouthful of chips much to her disgust.

Ino rolled her eyes with a loud huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "All I was trying to tell him is that Kaede's birthday is coming up and we should try to do something special for her. It's her sixteenth birthday for crying out loud!"

"Give me a break Ino you don't have to remind me. And besides, I've already got a gift for her."

Ino blinked in surprise, her lips quickly forming into a wide smile. "Oooh, really? What'd you get her?"

Shikamaru laid back down on the grass and closing his eyes as the usual bored expression returned to his face. "You'll have to wait and see..."

He resumed tuning her out, as Ino proceeded to go on and on about what to do for her.

Shikamaru panted slightly, now standing before a small jewelry store. He sighed before he walked into the store and over to the counter where he had personalized Kaede's gift.

'Hope she likes the gift...'

* * *

"Happy Birthday Kaede!" her friends chorused in unison.

Kaede had been greeted with several handfuls of confetti by Naruto and Lee along with a banner that hung on the walls that wrote Sweet Sixteen, signed by Team Seven, Eight, Ten, and Gai's team.

"Aw, you guys didn't have to do all this for me." Kaede blushed happily, smiling.

"Course we did, you don't think I'd just let you go without celebrating your birthday did you?" Ino chirped with a grin.

"Now that Kaede-chan's here..." Sakura said.

"We'll get you out of those work clothes and change into something a little more...appropriate for this occasion." Ino finished, both girls now staring at Kaede with a glint in their eye.

Kaede eyed the two girls in suspicion, not exactly sure what to make of the look in their eyes. But something told her it wasn't exactly good. "Um guys-"

Sakura and Ino earned a yelp in response as they forcibly grabbed her by the arms and took her upstairs to Ino's bedroom, ignoring any of her petulant protests.

* * *

Kaede's gray orbs stared back at her as she stared at herself in the full-length mirror. She was dressed up in a nice black yukata with white cherry blossoms on the front and back with her dark grey hair tied up in a tight bun that was held together with white flower pin, her bangs covering the top of her forehead. Sakura and Ino stood behind her with a smile."It looks cute on you..." Ino complimented.

"Yeah, it really does suit you." Sakura chirped with a small giggle.

"I don't see why I have to wear this in front of everyone..." she mumbled, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

"Oh, you're not wearing this just to show off for everyone."

"Um...who are you referring to then?" Kaede asked raised an eyebrow.

"Shikamaru of course!"

"W-What!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Y-You're serious, why him of all people? You realize he's not the type of guy to suddenly go head over heels with a girl dressed up like this." Kaede stammered, biting on her lower lip hoping to calm her heart that was practically jumping out of her chest at the mere mention of his name.

"True, but we thought with you wearing and outfit like this, you'll definitely get some kind of reaction out of him." Ino adds with a wink.

_'Even when I tell her, she still doesn't listen. It's obvious these two don't know anything about the Shikamaru I've come to know.'_

"Besides, the first step to getting over a crush is to show him you can move on. And what better way to do this than wear something cute and hang out with other guys instead?" Sakura encouraged, gently pushing her forward towards the door.

_'Wait how the hell does Sakura know about…' _she trailed off, her eyes quickly looking directly toward her blonde friend with a frown. 'Ino is such a blabber mouth,'

"Couldn't you guys have at least warned me about your so called plan?"

"Aw, you know if we did that you probably wouldn't go with it, you'd probably just tried to weasel your way out of the party if we did."

_'True, they know me too well,'_ she thought.

"And you really expect me to go downstairs dressed like this?"

"After the money we spent on it, hell yeah we do! I didn't even have enough money to buy me something that'll impress Sai-kun, so you ought' to be grateful." Ino pouted, while Sakura and Kaede simply rolled their eyes. Ino suddenly squealed when she heard the doorbell ring from downstairs.

"That's our man," she said in a sing-song voice. "Now go down there and show him what he can't have!" She opened the door to her room and motioned her to go downstairs with a grin.

"Uh-Uh, you go down there." She turned her foot so her back was facing the former Sasuke fan-girls. Ino twitched in irritation. "You're not making this any easier on us Kaede-chan," she warned.

_'Forget this...like the saying goes; it's my party I can cry if I want to…' _

"Should you or should I?" Sakura asked.

"Go right ahead…" Ino agreed with a faint smirk. Sakura nodded before she forcibly grabbed onto Kaede's arm earning a loud "hey" as she dragged her down the hall and down the steps towards the front door.

* * *

"Um...hey Shikamaru," Kaede greeted nervously, clutching onto the hem of her kimono while staring down at the floor. "I'm glad you could, make it."

Shikamaru blinked, staring down at her kimono for a moment before staring up at the blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks…you-"

"I know; I look ridiculous right?" she mumbled.

"That's not it, it…suits you." He reluctantly admitted with a meek smile. Kaede quickly turned her head to the side in hopes of hiding her flushed cheeks. "But, why go out of your way and get all dressed up anyway, unless you plan on going to a festival or something after this…"

"Believe me, if I had any saying in this I wouldn't be dressed up looking like a porcelain doll."

"I figured as much." He said with a chuckle.

"Oi, Shikamaru! Quit gawking at Kaede-chan and get your ass in gear already!" Naruto shouted into the karaoke microphone. Kaede blushed even harder when she heard some faint snickering in the background and some obnoxious wolf whistles. Shikamaru merely sighed in irritation towards everyone else's comments and Naruto's voice being even louder than usual wasn't much help either.

"Shut up!" He slid the door closed before walking around Kaede and sitting in an empty chair and propping his feet on the table.

"Shikamaru, don't put your feet on the coffee table! And c'mon, you shouldn't be sitting on your ass the whole time at a party! You gotta get involved!" Ino scolded.

_'What a drag, it hasn't even been five minutes, and yet she still can find something to nag me about...'_ he thought, letting out an obnoxious sigh.

"I just got here Ino, I'll get _involved_ when I want to..."

"Ugh, fine then, just don't expect any mercy next time I tell you." She warned, grabbing the microphone from Naruto.

She glanced over in Sai's direction, who was currently too engrossed in another one of his "How To Build Relationships" novels to even notice. How Ino managed to convince Sai to come to the party was completely and utterly beyond them.

Kaede watched from the love seat as Ino glanced over in Sai's direction and began singing the lyrics to _'__Love Story'_ on the television a bit off key. _'This is gonna be a long night...'_

* * *

**Evafan24**: Another chapter up for the Wounded Deer, hope I didn't disappoint anyone reading this. I know I haven't been updating this story but that's because it's been on hiatus for a while on my Quizilla account and I've been becoming less focused on Naruto and more focused on my Pokemon stories, not including my Drew series. But after going back and re-reading it, I'm thinking of starting it up again. But I've already got two other stories I'm working on and I don't wanna bite off more than I can chew considering I still have to juggle school and that should definitely come before my fanfiction. So just to let you all know, no I haven't forgotten about this story and it WILL be eventually updated bit by bit while editing mistakes in the chapters I've already posted up. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter, and please review or message me. Feedback is always welcome. No flames please. ^^


	10. Chapter 10

**Evafan24**: Sooo, after reading a certain review from a certain someone about my story, *cough*danglypants*cough*. Sorry, got a really bad cold. *coughs* Anyway, yeah I figured I just HAD to update this story after reading that review, it definitely made my day...well evening anyway. Oh, and I'd also like to thank everyone else that's reviewed my story recently and read it, I'm glad you guys haven't given up on me even though I tend to update late. Hope you all enjoy the next installment, message and feedback is appreciated! ^^

* * *

"So, you having any fun?" Shikamaru asked, watching Kaede make her way over to the punch table.

She poured herself some punch before finishing it in record time, slamming the cup down with a loud sigh. "I should be asking you that…" she mumbled.

"I asked you first," Shikamaru countered.

"I asked you second." she replied.

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance. "You're not gonna turn this conversation into another one of your pointless arguments are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, sure I'm having a good time. Minus the fact that my throat is killing me from all that Karaoke Ino talked me into doing." She admits.

Shikamaru merely shrugged his shoulders, pouring himself a glass before taking a sip. "Well, you know what they say; it's your party, you can cry if you want to."

Kaede couldn't help but smile a little hearing him say that. _'You took the words right out of my mouth, guess great minds think alike after all…'_ she thought with a small chuckle to herself, albeit loud enough for Shikamaru to hear.

"What's so funny?" he asked, arching a brow.

She shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. "It's nothing…" she reassured him.

"Anyway, I…wanted to talk to you about something."

"Y-You did?" she stared at him in surprise at his sudden change of tone. "Talk about what Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru stays silent for a moment, both of his hands shoved in his chunin pockets. His hand fingering the small gift he was planning to give to Kaede.

_'Guess it's now or never…'_ he thinks, sighing under his breath.

"Yeah I—"

"Okay everyone, listen up!" Ino's voice suddenly spoke, grabbing everyones' attention once she glared at them warningly.

_'What perfect timing…'_ he thought snorting under his breath.

"Sakura and I decided to make this party more interesting and… play Seven Minutes in Heaven! Are there any objections?"

Most of them either didn't care, or was just flat out tired of all the karaoke so they eventually agreed.

"Hey, don't go making up people's minds for them Ino…" Shikamaru suddenly spoke up.

"Fine, we'll let the birthday girl decide then! How about it Kaede-chan?" she asked, staring at her with a grin. She looked over at Shikamaru who was giving her a look that implied 'Please don't…'

_'Sorry, I'll only end up facing both Ino and Sakura's wrath if I don't agree with them.'_ She smiled sympathetically at him, before nodding her head.

"Sure, why not?"

"It's unanimous, we're all playing then!" Ino shouted victoriously.

Shikamaru looked over at Kaede with a frown and she just smiled sheepishly, mouthing a soft 'sorry' to him, but he ignored it..

"Alright then, Kaede—"

"I'll go first!" Naruto volunteered with a wide grin, reaching into the bowl full of names Sakura held out. She frowned, smacking his hand away causing him to yelp in pain. "Wait your turn Naruto, Kaede goes first."

"You could've just said so in the first place Sakura-chan…" Naruto whined, rubbing his sore red hand.

"Sakura, it's fine; he asked first and I don't really care." Kaede reassured her with a meek shrug.

Sakura stared at Naruto, rolling her eyes before handing him the bowl. "Fine…"

"Yosh, here I go!" he grinned digging his hand into the bowl for about half a minute before pulling out a small folded piece of paper.

_'The chances of Naruto getting Sakura in the closet are pretty slim. Seeing that look on his face, guess there's no reason to try and talk him out of it. Who am I to crush his hopes and dreams?'_ Kaede thinks.

"Hehehe, I've got a feeling it's gonna be—"Naruto's jaw drops to the floor when he reads what the paper says.

"Who'd you get Naruto?" Kiba randomly demanded.

"There's no way…NO WAY IN HELL AM I GOING IN THERE WITH THAT…THAT GUY!" Naruto shouts, jabbing a finger towards Sai.

"Sai-kun!" Ino cried out in horror. Kaede did her best to hold in her laughter, but was failing miserably; the look on both Ino and Naruto's face was priceless. Sai only looked indifferent about the situation, not really caring one way or another.

"Holy crap…you got Sai? This is beyond hilarious, you guys just made my day! You know I'm definitely gonna use my camera for this." Kaede said, while in the midst of her laughing fit.

"Shut-up, you're not making things any better Kaede! It's not funny!" Naruto flailed, clenching his fists angrily.

"B-But, how did this happen? I made sure I was supposed to—"Sakura was quick to cut Ino off.

"You can't always get your way Ino." Sakura spoke in a calm, yet firm tone. Ino quickly shot her a glare, stomping towards her.

"Y-You, it's all your doing isn't it! I should've known this was all you're doing you billboard brow!"

"That's what happens when you try to rig the game." Kaede sighed as Sakura glared right back at Ino.

"What was that you pig?" Sakura flared dangerously.

"You heard me!"

"Naruto picked Sai from the bowl, so he's gonna stay in there with Sai…for seven minutes." Kaede interrupted, pointing towards the closet before she grabbed her camera off the coffee table with a grin.

"Very well then…" Sai responded in a monotone.

All eyes were on Sai as he walked over to Naruto, causing him to back away from him. "Back off!"

He grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, dragging him towards the walk-in closet, which Kaede took a quick picture of, before giving everyone his usual fake smile and shutting the door behind him. Everyone was silent, staring at the closet door, hoping to hear at least something going on in there.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing? NO…don't do that! S-Stay away from me!" About half a minute later, Naruto screamed followed by the sound of a punch being thrown.

The whole room was completely silent for the next minute until they heard the door suddenly burst open, revealing a panting Naruto who looked extremely pissed and Sai nursing a sore cheek with that fake smile of his.

"Naruto, it hasn't even been seven minutes in the closet yet." Kaede reminded him, snickering under her breath.

"I can't stand one more second of this guy! I'd rather be stuck with anyone else except him!" he points at Sai who slowly makes his way out the closet.

"I was only doing playing the game like Ino taught me…" Sai said.

_'Something tells me I don't want to know what she told him.' _Kaede sweat-dropped, stealing a glance at Ino.

"Alright then, we'll let someone else have a turn."

For the next half hour, they continued playing the game. So far, Hinata ended up going in the closet with Naruto who ended up passing out before Naruto could even get in the closet, Sakura with Ino who both ended up at eachother's throats the whole time, Lee with Tenten who gave her a friendly grin, Neji with Ino much to his displeasure, and Kiba with Choji who merely shared small talk.

_'Looks like I won't have to play…' _Kaede smiled to herself, quickly standing up from her seat to make her way to the kitchen for a quick get-away.

"Hold it Kaede! You don't think I'm gonna let you leave without playing do you?" Ino said with an evil glint in her eye.

She sweat-dropped, quickly shaking her head in response. "C-Course not, I was just…getting something to drink." She quickly lied with a sheepish laugh.

"Good, because you and Shikamaru are the only ones left who have yet to play. So you know what that means right?"

"No, not really." She quickly turned her head away from Ino, although knowing Ino, she knew exactly what she had in mind.

"You both are going into that closet! And as Shikamaru's punishment, I'm gonna add an extra seven minutes for you both!"

"What?" Shikamaru and Kaede said in unison, Kaede being completely flustered whilst Shikamaru was just flat out annoyed about the whole thing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Evafan24**: I'd like to thank everyone for the new reviews, you all know who you are. I've suddenly been hit with a few ideas so I've been working on the new chapters that I can eventually put up here. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has been patiently waiting...or impatiently for this chapter. XDDD

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Kaede and this plot.

* * *

"Y-You can't be serious!" Shikamaru and Kaede said in unison. They quickly stared at each other before looking away, Kaede feeling embarrassed while Shikamaru just felt flat out irritated. Ino turned to the both of them and shot them a look that told them that she was 'dead serious'.

Sakura grinned, holding up Kaede's camera. "Now kiss and make up in there you two." She winked.

Sakura pushed Kaede into the closet who stumbled a bit, nearly falling over. Shikamaru just stood there with his arms folded over his chest.

"I'm not gonna be in there for fourteen minutes Ino, you're being unreasonable." He said.

She put her hands on her hips, frowning deeply. "Don't tell me about being unreasonable, you're the one that was acting like you didn't want to be here. You could've at least pretended you were having fun, maybe then you wouldn't have to be stuck in the closet longer than everyone else." She huffed.

_'I really only came here to give Kaede her present, but it's obvious that's not gonna happen anytime soon.'_ He thinks, sighing under his breath. "There's no use trying to argue my way out of this is there?"

Ino simply grinned before giving him a nice shove into the closet, causing him to stumble forward right into Kaede. "Nope…" she giggled before she slammed the door and proceeded to lock it from the outside. Kaede blushed profusely when she felt Shikamaru's body heat. She was thankful it was pitch black in the closet at the moment. She could practically feel steam coming out from her ears.

"Shikamaru you're..." She trailed off shyly. Kaede's back was up against the wall, and Shikamaru's chest was merely inches away from her own. He quickly took a couple of steps back to put some distance between them until he was backed up against the door. Unfortunately, there wasn't much space in the closet.

"Right, sorry..." he apologized awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Kaede simply nodded, although she wasn't sure if he could see it or not. She slowly slid down to the ground, hugging her legs close to her chest. She was beginning to feel more and more nervous with each passing second. _'This is officially the longest fourteen minutes I've ever had to sit through.'_ She thought.

The silence was killing her. She couldn't bear to stay quiet any longer, so she spoke the first thing that came to her mind.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault that you had to be forced in here with me," she whispered. "I guess I'm really the one to blame for this since I agreed to play in the first place."

_'Besides, I'm sure he'd much rather be with his girlfriend than me right now.'_ She thinks dejectedly. _'They'd have loads of fun in here…'_

"Nah, don't even worry about it, it's not like we really have to do anything. They can't see anything we do in here." He waved it off dismissively.

_'Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to eavesdrop. Nosy perverts...'_

"Hm…" she mumbled, resting her chin on top of her knees. The two of them stayed silent for about a minute or two until Kaede spoke up again, catching Shikamaru slightly off guard. "So, how come your girlfriend didn't come?" she suddenly asks. The minute she asked Kaede suddenly regretted speaking her thoughts, wishing she could've taken her words back, but all she could do was wait for his response.

He could've sworn Kaede's tone had changed a bit when mentioned her, but decided to think nothing of it.

"Back in Sunagakure, she told me she had to finish some business there. She said she'd be back in a few days. Why do you ask?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"N-No reason, I just thought…if you were coming that you'd bring her with you." She replied a bit awkwardly.

_'I somehow find that hard to believe.'_ He thinks to himself. He suddenly thinks back to the conversation he had with Choji.

* * *

_"She's just been acting strange, that's all. And I can't figure out what's her problem lately. Knowing me, I'm not gonna be able to let this go till I figure it out, as tiresome as that sounds."  
_

_"Did you ever consider this might have something to do with you and Temari?"_

_"Temari, what's she got to do with Kaede-chan?"_

_"Well, you've been spending a lot more time with Temari right? Maybe Kaede's just feeling a little left out seeing that her best friend is dating. Like he doesn't have time for her anymore and he's leaving her behind." he explained._

_"But when I told Kaede-chan about getting a gift for Temari in the first place, she seemed all for the idea."_

_"Maybe, but she could've been lying."_

_

* * *

_

"Oi, Kaede-chan," Shikamaru suddenly spoke up. Kaede flinched a bit, looking up in his direction.

"Y-Yeah?" she quietly asks.

"Are you…mad at me?" he asks, albeit a bit awkwardly.

Kaede stares at the floor for a moment, contemplating her answer before she slowly pushes herself off the floor, now leaning against the wall. "Why would you think that?"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "I've just been noticing, that you've been acting a little strange…well stranger than you usually act."

"I'm so glad you have such a high opinion of me." She mumbled sarcastically under her breath. Shikamaru holds back the urge to face palm.

"I was kidding. Anyway…I've noticed, that ever since I started dating, you've been acting kind of different lately." He finished.

Her eyes widen in surprise. _'Does he…does he know that I—'_her thoughts were quickly cut short when he continued.

"I suppose I wouldn't blame you though if you were a little mad at me. We were spending a lot of time together, although most of it was because of work, but that's no excuse for making you feel left out. I haven't even bothered to try and look at the situation from your perspective and ask how you felt about any of this."

"S-Shikamaru…" she trailed off dumbfoundedly.

"So, I want to know how you honestly feel about this. I want to hear your opinion Kaede-chan, your honest opinion."

_'Be honest, I don't think I could be honest with him if I tried. If I told him the truth, it would screw up everything between us!'_ she screamed in her mind.

Oh how she longed to tell him the truth. Just break down in tears and tell him everything before yelling at him for being so dense, shoving him up against the closet wall with her lips hungrily claiming his own as she grabs his-

"Shikamaru, of course I'm okay with it. I'll admit, I was feeling a little down because we weren't hanging out as much as we used to, but that's just something I'm going to have to get used to if you're going to be dating. I can't keep you all to myself." She joked, forcing out a small laugh.

_'Who knew I could be such a good liar,'_ she thinks to herself, inwardly frowning. _'But this is for the best, for the both of us.'_ She thinks.

Shikamaru became silent for a moment before he walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. "And that's how you honestly feel?" he asks.

_'No…it's not.'_

"Yes, that's how I feel Shikamaru." She lied again with a small nod.

Shikamaru smiled faintly in reply. "Thanks for telling me, I'll try to be more considerate about how you feel. Maybe the three of us could hang out together or something? You haven't exactly been properly introduced to her yet, and it would be a bit rude of me not to sooner or later."

Oh, if only he truly knew how she felt.

Kaede forced a smile of her own, fighting back tears. "Y-Yeah..."

_'I'm sorry, Shikamaru…please forgive me.'_ She apologized, biting on the lower end of her lip.

"Times up," Sakura and Ino shouted in unison.

The door suddenly flew up, causing Shikamaru to falter backwards. Unfortunately, his hand was still on Kaede's shoulder so he ended up pulling her down as well. Even though they both expected to fall on the carpet, they certainly didn't expect their lips to mash together as they both fell to the floor, their bodies up against one another.

Sakura and Ino gasped as if they just did something scandalous. Sakura quickly took advantage of the situation and took a quick snapshot of them. "That's definitely a keeper." Sakura grinned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Evafan24: **Hey guys, Happy New Years Eve! *blows noisemaker* Hope you all have had a great year and that you'll all have a safe and happy New Year. Anyone planning on making an New Years Resolutions? I am...well more like a few goals I'm trying to set for myself. Like stop procrastinating with work in general. *grumbles* Aaaaanyway, I decided I'd update on the last day of the year as a way of saying thanks for reading my story and reviewing. Enjoy! ^^

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I do rightfully own Kaede and this plot though.**

* * *

"Ow!"

"Hold still Kaede!"

"But it huuuurts!"

"There, all finished."

Ino stepped away from Kaede as she stood up from her spot in the chair she sat on to stare at herself from the bathroom mirror. Her eyes stared back at her slightly swollen lip that was sporting a small bruise on the lower end of her lip, thankfully it wasn't very noticeable. Ino had put some antiseptic cream to help reduce some of the swelling as well as the throbbing pain.

"So how long will it take for this to heal?" Kaede mumbled, gently caressing her lip with the tip of her finger.

"You can't rush these things Kaede, but it shouldn't be more than a couple of days." Ino replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"You do realize it's your fault I'm like this right?" Kaede frowned.

"What, how the hell is it my fault?"

"You were the one that forced Shikamaru and I to go in the closet. If you hadn't we wouldn't have-"

Kaede cuts herself off, too embarrassed to finish her sentence. Her pale cheeks flushed a light shade of red as her mind flashed back to the closet mishap that happened at her birthday party. Ino and Sakura had opened the closet door which had caused both Shikamaru and Kaede to fall over each other and have their lips conveniently crash against one another. Unfortunately for Kaede, the kiss was more painful than it was enjoyable.

"Pft, if anything you should be thanking me. I mean c'mon, you've always wanted to know what his lips felt like against yours right?" Ino teased, nudging her playfully in the elbow.

Kaede scowled, her blush getting darker much to her displeasure before she gently pushed Ino's elbow away. _'You already know the answer to that…'_ she thought with a mixture of annoyance and sadness.

"Hey, don't you have to go to work today? It's almost nine." Ino reminded her.

"Crap, I almost forgot!" Kaede rushed out of the bathroom before rushing down the stairs to slide on her shoes that stood beside the front door along with her white lab coat she wore over her medical ninja uniform.

"I'll be back before supper, don't wait up!" Kaede shouted before rushing out the door.

"S-Sensei, are you serious?" Kaede gaped, staring up at the large pile of books sitting on her desk dumbfounded. "Tsunade-sama wants me to study all these?"

"I'm afraid so, Sakura just finished reading these just a few days ago and Tsunade wants you to look through these books as well. Fortunately, even though there are a lot of books you have to look through, they're all mostly short reads. She had been meaning to give these to you yesterday, but I told her you were out celebrating your birthday so she decided to hold it off for you until tomorrow. Well today anyway…" she replied, laughing sheepishly.

'_Great, happy late birthday to me…'_

Kaede sighs before stepping on the top of her toes to grab one of the books from the pile and opening it. "Well, guess I better get started huh?"

"She actually requested you'd finish this in the library since this room has already been reserved for a few jounin for a meeting. Sorry…" Shizune admits with a sheepish laugh.

"Don't worry about it sensei. I'll get right on it. The last thing I want is Tsunade-sama chewing my head off for putting my work on hold for too long."

* * *

"Excuse me, huge pile of books coming through. Make way!" Kaede grunted as she moved left and right trying while trying to avoid running into anyone in her way. The fact that she couldn't exactly see what was in front of her didn't make her job any easier, if not more tedious.

She leaned her head a bit to the side and away from the books that were obstructing her view, sighing in relief once she saw that the Library was just a few feet away.

'_Thank God…'_Kaede sighed in relief as she walked through the revolving doors to enter the library, being greeted with the sound of the air conditioner running and the smell of old worn books. After walking around the library and scanning for a quiet spot, Kaede set her books down at an empty wooden table before taking a seat and taking the first book off the pile she had carried.

She forced back a yawn as her grey orbs scanned the title of the book, _'Anatomic Pathology: Cardiovascular'. _She opened up the book and began to read through the beginning of the first chapter, but for some reason, the information just wouldn't sink into her head. She found herself re-reading the sentences before she eventually gave up and shut the book closed with a huff, running her hands through her silver colored locks in frustration. Kaede just couldn't concentrate, not with Ino's words ringing in her head from their previous conversation.

'_I mean c'mon, you've always wanted to know what his lips felt like against yours right?'_

'_Thanks a lot Ino, you just had to go and say that.'_ Kaede scowled in her mind, gently brushing her finger tips along her bruised lower lip.

"At it again I see." a familiar voice uttered behind her

Turning her attention to the voice behind her, she immediately paled before turning a bright shade of red. "S-Shikamaru?"

He scowls, leaning against one of the book cases for support. "Why do you sound so surprised to see me?"

Kaede looked away, forcing herself to stare at the wooden table she sat at while rubbing the back of her head nervously. "I just…I just didn't expect to see you here." She quickly lied.

Shikamaru stared at her for a moment, a bit unconvinced but decided to let it slide before he walks over to the table. "Well, I came by here because I was told by Shizune-san that you'd be in here studying." He explained.

'_Dammit Sensei!' _Kaede cursed in her mind.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to bother you while you're working. I figured I'd stop by during my lunch break to give you something. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but I never got the chance to…after that game Ino and Sakura forced us to play." He awkwardly admitted while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh…"

Kaede's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as her mind reverted back to the accidental kiss they had shared. She mentally kicked herself before she quickly forced the thought to the back of her mind.

"Which reminds me? You didn't have to go out of your way to ignore me after what happened."

"I wasn't ignoring you!" she quickly retorted, standing up from her chair.

Shikamaru glared at her. "Then why is it you were talking with everyone else at the party but me?"

Kaede gently bit down on her lip, but flinched from the sudden pain she felt. Her eyes focused on the floor to avoid his glare. She knew he was right. After the incident in the closet, Kaede just felt too embarrassed and awkward to even say two words to him without getting flustered or stumbling over her words. So she made sure to keep herself busy for the duration of the party to avoid doing so.

"I-I'm sorry," Kaede whispered.

His glare slowly softened up a little, watching her eyes look back at him. "It's just…it was-"Kaede fumbled in her words before being cut off.

"Awkward?" Shikamaru guessed.

Kaede stayed quiet but nodded her head a little in reply.

"I suppose I can't blame you there, I admit it caught me off guard too. I wasn't too sure how to handle it at first, but I knew we could eventually get past it." He admits. "It might not have seemed like an accident to some of our friends, but you and I both know that it was an accident right?"

Even though she would never admit it to him, Kaede considered it to be bit of a good accident, even if she might have nearly busted her lip. She slowly nods her head in agreement, the blush slowly dissipating.

"Right…" Kaede nods again.

"Anyway, here's the present I've been meaning to give you."

"My present?" she blinked dumbly.

"Well yeah, I told you I was here to give you something. Why else would I be in here?"

"To sleep on the job?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before pulling a small black box from his green chunin vest pocket and puts it in her hands.

"Happy Sweet Sixteenth Kaede-chan. Well late Sweet Sixteenth anyway." Shikamaru smiles a bit.

Kaede stared at the box dumbfounded, her eyes slowly dilating with interest which only irked Shikamaru. "Well, aren't you gonna open it? The box isn't your gift you know."

"O-Of course!"

She removed the top of the box off, her grey eyes taking in the small piece of jewelry that was inside the box. It was a small sterling silver bracelet with her initials hanging off the bracelet and three small silver deer charms hanging off the piece of jewelry. She stood there gaping like a fish out of water at the gift in her hands.

Shikamaru stared at her facial expression. He just didn't understand women. Was she gaping because she was happy or because she didn't like it? "So, do you like it or should I just—"

"I love it!"

He suddenly found himself being pulled into an embrace by Kaede who wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder suddenly feeling overcome with emotion from the gift.

"H-Hey, it's no big deal Kaede. I just—"

"I'll treasure it…always." She whispered, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"Wait a second, are you crying?" Shikamaru asks with a slight panicked look on his face.

"N-No!" she blubbered, although he could tell she was lying judging by the tear stains she was beginning to leave on his clothes.

"C-Calm down, don't cry alright?" Shikamaru wasn't good with a hysterical woman.

Kaede gently bit down on her lip, ignoring the pain she felt from it as she tries to hold back any more tears, her arms still latched firmly around his neck. Shikamaru awkwardly patted her back, ignoring the slight warmth he felt hit his cheeks.

"Well, this is certainly something you don't see every day." A voice interrupted.

Shikamaru flinched at the familiar voice, praying it wasn't who he thought it was, even though he knew damn well who was standing just a few feet behind him and Kaede. He hated being right sometimes.

"H-Hey Temari…"

* * *

**Evafan24: **Dun dun duuuuuun! No, cliffhanger! Any of you see that coming? Well hope you all enjoyed the last update for this year. Anyway, reviews are always welcome and appreciated, along with sending a message or putting this story as one of your favorites. I ask for no flames, but criticism is fine. ^^


	13. Chapter 13

**Evafan24: **Would've gotten this done a little bit sooner, but being the big sister that I am, I decided to help out my younger sibling with her homework since she's been procrastinating non-stop. I swear she's pretty much a younger version of me. Well, anyway, here's the newest chapter. Hope you all enjoy! ^^

* * *

**'**_This is bad, this is really bad! How are we gonna explain this?' _Shikamaru frets.

Kaede quickly pulls away from Shikamaru, wiping any excess tears from her eyes.

"W-What're you doing back so soon?" he asks, quickly regaining what was left of his composure.

"I finished my work early and decided to stop by and see you. But I suppose I picked the wrong—"

"N-No, of course not!" Shikamaru quickly replies with a shake of his head.

'_You've GOT to be kidding..._' Kaede thought, shooting an indignant expression in his direction.

"We were just…" Shikamaru struggles to find the right words.

Kaede honestly couldn't blame him though, being put on the spot like that. She knew she had to step in quick before things got any worse…if that were possible anyway. She gulps, feeling her throat suddenly grow dry as she opens her mouth to speak up, cutting Shikamaru off.

"S-Shikamaru was actually here to give me my birthday present. I got so happy that I ended up—"

Temari put a hand out in front of her to cut Kaede off.

"It's alright, no need to explain. I know Shikamaru wouldn't cheat on me." Temari reassures her.

Shikamaru and Kaede both inwardly sigh in relief. Temari was taking the awkward situation surprisingly well. He was glad Temari wasn't the kind of girl to jump to conclusions, unlike a certain other blond haired girl on his squad…

"Besides, knowing him, I doubt he'd be able to make the time to juggle two girls and still make time for work." Temari chuckles, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

'_As if I don't hear enough about work from Tsunade-sama or Asuma-sensei…'_ Shikamaru thinks with an exasperated sigh.

Kaede didn't really want to admit it, but she had a valid point. Shikamaru wasn't the kind of guy to two-time a girl he was already dating. Considering how much he complains about how women are troublesome, his friends found it a little hard to wrap their head around the fact that he was dating someone. Someone he had once fought against to be more specific.

"So, you plan on introducing me anytime soon?" Temari asks with a curious raised eyebrow.

"Right, Temari, this is my friend, Kaede. Kaede, this is Temari, my girlfriend." Shikamaru gestures to them both with a hand.

Temari looked a couple years older than her, eighteen perhaps. She had sandy blond hair that was pulled into four pigtails around her head with dark teal eyes. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved black robe that reached down to her legs tied with a red sash tied around her waist and her Sand Village headband was tied around her forehead. For some vague reason, she looked a little familiar, although Kaede couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm glad that we could be introduced to each other properly." Temari smiles casually.

'_Yeah, that's for sure…'_Kaede inwardly frowns at the thought of their first encounter.

You certainly wouldn't call walking in on your best friend and his new girlfriend in a tender lip lock as a proper introduction.

"He's told me about you too, so I guess it's only natural I would want to meet you." Temari nods thoughtfully.

"O-Oh, he has?" Kaede turns to look back at Shikamaru a bit surprised.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Shikamaru asks with a small frown.

Even if it didn't seem like a big deal to Shikamaru, it certainly meant a lot to Kaede. Shikamaru had a girlfriend now, but it was comforting to know he still cared about her, though it wasn't the same kind of caring he felt for Temari.

Kaede quickly changes the subject to avoid the question. "So Temari…I know this may sound weird, but you look a little familiar to me. I feel like I've seen you around this village once before for some reason."

"Oh really, is that so?" Temari stares at her quizzically.

Temari turns to Shikamaru who scowls and quickly turns away from her gaze.

"You mean, you didn't tell her yet?" Temari prods with a sly smirk.

"Tell me what?" Kaede asks.

"It's nothing." He lies flatly, though Temari ignored his comment and continued.

"If you went to see the final round of the Chunin exams a few years ago, you might recall seeing me there. Shikamaru was my opponent in the final matches."

Shikamaru let out a loud sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe you still remember that." He groans.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. So you're saying…she's the same girl you fought and lost to during the Chunin exams we had a few years ago?" Kaede asks in disbelief.

Shikamaru only nods his head a little in response while Temari simply laughs.

"Honestly, it doesn't surprise me he didn't tell you. Knowing how he is, he was probably trying to forget about that. I certainly won't…"

Thinking back, Kaede did remember that day. Ino and Choji went to support their teammate to see him fight to become a chunin, albeit Shikamaru didn't seem to care too much one way or another whether or not he made it to chunin. As for Kaede, she wasn't on their squad and was working to become a medical ninja. Even though she had decided to go a different route than the one her friends were taking, she wanted to support and cheer her friend on.

'_Well, this is certainly a kunai to the head. Did NOT see this coming…' _Kaede thought.

"I-I never would've guessed." Kaede sweat-drops.

"Funny how that works huh?" Temari says while nudging Shikamaru in the arm with an elbow.

"Yeah, it's hilarious." Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

"So, what did you get her?" Temari asks.

Shikamaru stares at the small box Kaede held in her hand that contained the bracelet he had gotten for her birthday. "Oh, you mean her birthday present?"

"What else would I be referring to?"

Kaede is hesitant at first, but reluctantly opens up the box to show Temari her new bracelet. She couldn't help but wonder what her reaction would be to her gift. She quickly tosses that thought aside when she notices the facial expression Temari wore is anything but envious or upset looking.

"Well, well, you certainly went all out for her didn't you?" Temari teases half-jokingly.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying as—"Temari cuts him off mid-sentence.

"I hope you realize what this means Shikamaru."

"M-Means what,"

Temari folds her arms across her chest and grins. "That next year, I expect you to pull out the red carpet. And I'm talking the works, nothing cheap alright?"

"Can't say I'm surprised to hear that…" he grumbles.

'_I guess three really is a crowd, especially when you're not really part of the conversation.'_

Shikamaru turns his attention back to Kaede. "Anyway, sorry if it seemed like I kept you from finishing any work."

"D-Don't apologize, I wasn't really getting much done anyway…" Kaede waves it off dismissively.

"Oh, is that so?" He questions, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly being reminded of the thought of why she couldn't concentrate, she forces that thought to the back of her mind to keep from blushing.

"Guess I'll see ya around then?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'll…see ya Shikamaru. You go have fun okay?"

"Will do," Temari agrees with a small nod.

Temari smiles before grabbing Shikamaru by the hand as she proceeds to gently pull him along and out of the library, ignoring his whiny protests about being yanked around like a rag doll.

Kaede sighs under her breath before she soon takes a seat back into her chair, right next to the pile of books she was assigned to read. She opens up to the page she had left off before she continues to read. Even though she was reading, her mind was completely somewhere else.

'_Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not getting anywhere when I can't focus!'_

With a loud sigh in defeat, she closes up her book and begins piling the books, one on top of the other and puts her gift on the top of the stack of books. Grunting at the new weight that was added to her hands, Kaede slowly walks out of the library with the books and her gift.

She gasps when she feels her body suddenly collide into something heavy before her body met with the ground, causing the books she carried to slip from her grasp and onto the floor beside her.

'_Did I run into a wall or what?' _Kaede groans, rubbing her sore rear.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"

Kaede looks up at the newcomer that stood before her, holding out a hand to her. She sat there with a blank expression etched on her face before she gently grabs a hold of the stranger's hand and pulls herself up.

"Thank you."

"No problem…"

Kaede turns her attention back to her books, quickly picking each of them up.

"Oh um, do you need any help with those? I don't mind help—"

"N-No, it's okay. I got it, but thanks anyway." Kaede reassures.

As Kaede grabs the last book off the floor, she makes her way out of the library despite the heavy books she had to carry.

"Well, she certainly is a stubborn one…" the stranger mumbles to himself, scratching the back of his head.

His eyes suddenly turn down towards the floor when he notices a small black box lying a few feet in front of him.

'_Did she drop this?'_ he ponders, picking up the box up from the floor.

"Hey, miss I think you—"

When he looks towards the entrance door of the library for the girl, he notices she's nowhere to be found. His eyes turn back to the box he held in his hand, staring at it for a brief moment as he contemplates whether or not to open it.

'_Well, I'm sure opening it will tell me whether this belongs to her or not.'_

He carefully opens up the little black box to see a beautiful silver bracelet inside it. _'I guess she did drop this.'_

He notices a small white label inside the box before he reads over the words written on it.

'_To Kaede, a special and irreplaceable friend…'_

"So, her name's Kaede…?"

* * *

**Evafan24**: Uh-oh, Kaede dropped her bracelet. She's definitely not going to be happy when she finds out, and neither will Shikamaru if he finds out. Be sure to review and or message always welcome and appreciated. I've been working on the plot for the past few days and I think I've got it all set and ready to finish writing up aside for a few details here and there, so I'm hoping to finish this story THIS year. ^^


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: First off, I don't own Naruto or its characters. I only own Kaede and this plot I have created. And I'd like to thank everyone reading or reviewing for being patient with me, I'm sorry for the long wait. I'd give you reasons as to why I haven't updated, but I'm sure you're obviously not here to read about my excuses. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

'_No, no no! This can't be happening, it just can't be!'_

Kaede searches frantically through her now messy room, hoping to find the missing piece of jewelry she had carelessly misplaced. The books she received from Tsunade earlier today were carelessly lying out all over the floor, notebooks and papers filled with important notes were either taking up space on her bed or on her wooden desk, and scrolls were thrown to the side as she continues her search.

"How could I lose the bracelet, I just had it with me a second ago! If Shikamaru finds out—"

Kaede clenches her clammy hands into a fist, frowning deeply at the thought of Shikamaru's reaction if he were to find out she had already lost his gift.

"Man, I don't even wanna think about how he'll react if he finds out!_" _she thought with a furious shake of her head.

"_I'll treasure it…always."_

The familiar words she spoke to Shikamaru began to echo through her mind. Slowly falling backwards, her body collides with her bed, crushing any notebooks or papers that were lying on it. A melancholy sigh escapes her parted lips as she slowly closes eyes, burying her face in her hands.

'_It's like I'm going back on my own words. How could have I let this happen…how?'_

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at _PhotoStop_, have a good day Ma'am."

"Thanks, you too!"

'_Ugh, do I look like a Ma'am to you? Ugh the nerve of that clerk…_' Ino thought, inwardly huffing under her breath.

Ino walks out the photo processing store, carrying a plastic bag with the newly developed pictures that were taken at Kaede's birthday party. Kaede had originally planned on going to get the pictures developed herself, but since she had been so occupied with her work, Ino kindly offered to do it for her during her break.

'_It's a good thing I offered to get these photos for her; she probably would've been too embarrassed to make extra copies of some pictures.'_Ino thought while grinning to herself.

"Hey, Ino!"

Ino turns her head towards the voice calling her name. She smiles at the familiar pink haired girl and waves in her direction.

"Hey Sakura, what's up?"

Sakura shrugs her shoulders a bit. "I just finished up some training, how about you?"

Ino points her thumb towards the photo store. "Kaede wanted me to pick up the pictures from her birthday party since she was too busy to do it today."

"Really, can I have a look at them?" Sakura asks.

'_Well…I was planning on showing these to Kaede first, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to show Sakura.'_ Ino thought.

"Sure, go ahead." Ino holds out the pictures to Sakura.

Sakura takes the pictures from Ino and takes them out of the bag, flipping through each picture before she suddenly stops at one and begins to laugh. "Yeah, this is definitely a good one. I can see why you made copies."

Ino smiles proudly and nods in agreement.

* * *

"_Kaede…"_

'…_Huh?'_

_Kaede slowly sat up from her position on her bed, a few books and papers that were on the bed fell to the floor. She slowly rubs her eyes, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light in the room. Surprisingly, the only source of light in the room was a faint white glowing light in the distance. Kaede's eyes gaze at the light with interest. For some strange reason, her body felt drawn to this strange source of light. _

'_What…is that?' Kaede thought._

_Cautiously getting off her bed, Kaede takes a few tentative steps closer towards the floating light. Her eyes widen when she is able to take a closer look at it._

"_Wait, that's my bracelet," she screams._

_Kaede instinctively grabs at her throat when she realizes even though her lips moved, no sound had come out her mouth._

'_W-What's going on, what happened to my voice?'_

_The bracelet that floated inside the small sphere of light slowly begins to move further away from her._

"_W-Wait, don't go!" Kaede tries to scream out, to no avail._

_Her attention quickly switches back towards the light as it began to fade out into the distance. Kaede suddenly finds her body acting on its own and walking towards the it, hoping to catch up with it until she was running at a full sprint. However, the more she tries to follow the light, the farther away it seemed to go._

'_Just a little further,'_

_Hoping to get closer to the light, Kaede holds her arm out to reach out and grab a hold of it._

"_You told me you would always treasure my gift…"_

_'AAH!'_

_Caught off guard by the booming voice, Kaede trips and falls forward, causing her to come crashing down to the floor._

"_So was that a lie?"_

'_S-Shikamaru…?'_

_Kaede slowly pushes herself up with her arms and searches her surroundings, hoping she would spot the familiar pineapple haired boy._

"_I guess it would be a lie to say you had feelings for me too…"_

'_N-No…'_

_Kaede clenches her fists at her side while trying to fight back tears._

'_No, that's not true at all Shikamaru! I've always l-'_

"Y_ou're nothing but a coward…"_

_With those final words, Kaede's eyes double in size as the glowing bracelet suddenly disintegrates right before her eyes. She slowly falls to her knees, suddenly feeling her lungs choking on the air she tries desperately to breathe in._

'_A…coward…?'_

"Kaede…KAEDE WAKE-UP!"

Kaede gasps as she's suddenly brought back to consciousness by a voice. Her hand instinctively grips onto her chest as she tries to calm her palpitating heart and breathe normally.

'_C-Calm down…it was…just a dream.' _Kaede reassures herself.

"Kaede, you okay?"

Kaede flinches in surprise when she finds a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at Ino with eyes that held a mixture of fear and ambiguity.

"Y-Yeah, I just…dozed off and kind of had a nightmare."

"Kind of, that's a bit of an understatement isn't it? You looked like you were in pain or something the way you were mumbling and curled up in a ball on your bed." Ino explains.

Kaede slowly runs a hand through her hair, her mind flashing back to the dream sequence she had just encountered moments ago.

'Y_ou're nothing but a coward…' A familiar voice repeated._

Forcing the thought to the back of her mind, Kaede nods her head and forces a very meek smile.

"Y-Yeah…I dreamt that…Shizune-sensei ordered Ton-Ton to eat me as punishment for messing up on the job. It's scary when an animal you'd normally eat tries to make a meal out of you." Kaede lies with a nervous laugh.

Ino raises an eyebrow before she suddenly begins to laugh and shakes her head in amusement. "I swear you've got the weirdest dreams Kaede!"

The last thing Kaede wanted to do was talk about what really happened in her dream. In her mind, it was better to try and forget about it than bring it up and dwell on it. After all, it wasn't real.

_'It's not like there would be any good in bringing it up…'_Kaede thought.

"Well, I got something I think will make you feel better. Ta-dah!" Ino hands Kaede the developed pictures to her with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, are these the pictures from my party?" Kaede asks as she pulls out the photos.

"Yup, the very ones," Ino nods.

Kaede begins to flip through a couple of pictures and giggles at the picture of Sai dragging Naruto into the closet.

"Yeah, this one was definitely a Kodak moment…"

Ino smirks in reply. "Yeah, but that's not the only Kodak moment."

Kaede's face turns a pale shade of white when she finally flips to the picture of her and Shikamaru on the carpet floor, their lips smashing against each others in a lip lock. It could easily be misinterpreted as an intentional, yet chaste kiss even though the kiss itself was more painful for Kaede than it was enjoyable.

She quickly flips to the next picture only to discover yet another picture of the both of them kissing. Frowning deeply, she turns to look at Ino who smiles innocently.

"You made copies of this…?"

Ino simply laughs in a sheepish manner. "What can I say, that picture was worth a thousand words and deserved to be printed more than once?"

_'Why make copies of this picture? I can't let Shikamaru see these...or Temari for that matter.' _Kaede thought.

Kaede sighs before flipping through the last two copies of the same picture and continues to look through the rest of the pictures before storing them away in the bag they came in.

"So, do you plan on doing some scrap-booking with these pictures later?" Ino asks.

"Yeah, eventually…" Kaede nods a little.

"By the way, I never asked you this…but why's your room so messy Kaede? Tsunade-sama got you hitting the books again or something?"

"Well, something like that," Kaede sighs, scratching the back of her head.

_'Even after searching my room high and low, I still haven't found it. Where in the world could that bracelet be, if it's not in my room...where else could have I left it?' _Kaede thought.

"Wouldn't it be better to do that at the library?" Ino suggests.

"Yeah I—wait a second…THAT'S IT!" Kaede suddenly shouts with glee.

"Er, what's it?" Ino raises an eyebrow at Kaede's sudden epiphany.

"I'll tell you later. I gotta go back out so don't wait up okay?"

"H-Hey, wait a sec—"

Kaede rushes out the door before Ino could finish her sentence. Ino rubs at the base of her neck, now more confused than ever at Kaede's behavior. "Man, what's with her all of a sudden…?"

* * *

"The library, how could I have forgotten to check the library?"

When Kaede was suddenly reminded of her encounter with the stranger she ran into at the library earlier today, she recalled dropping her books and came to the conclusion that she might have also dropped her bracelet and left it there without even realizing it. The possibility that her bracelet might still be there gave her all the more reason and motivation to run as fast as her feet could take her.

'_I just hope it's still there…'_

_

* * *

_

**Evafan24: **Yay, I finally finished chapter 14! So, you think Kaede will ever find her beloved bracelet, or will it ultimately lead up to telling Shikamaru she lost it? And what's this about the stranger she ran into at the library? When will they encounter again? Find out in the next installment of _The Wounded Deer._


	15. Chapter 15

**Evafan24:** To all my readers & reviewers, thank you sooooo much for reading/reviewing. It really means a lot. Anyway, sorry to keep you guys waiting, but I've finally finished chapter 15 and I think I've edited out any mistakes. If not well...I'll go back and fix them. I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I do however own this original plot and Kaede and...the new character that will be introduced! ^.^

* * *

"I wonder what's keeping Kaede. Something's obviously up…"

Ino stares up at the ceiling from her spot on the living room couch and lets out a soft sigh, turning her gaze towards the clock again. Two hours had passed since Kaede left the house without explaining why. Even though she said she would be back, Ino didn't know she would be out this long. Since it was starting to get dark out, she couldn't help but begin to worry a little.

'_Well, whatever's keeping her…I'll ask her about it when she gets back._' Ino thought.

A knock from the front door grabs her attention, bringing her back to reality. She quickly pushes herself off the couch and walks over to the door to answer it.

"Well it's about time Kaede." Ino grumbles, sliding the door open.

"Hey Ino, would you mind giving me a hand here? My hands are kind of full here." A voice grunts from behind a few small boxes.

"Huh, Mom is that you?" Ino asks, quickly grabbing the boxes from her mother's hands.

Her mother chuckles in reply and smiles at her daughter gratefully. "Who were you expecting?"

"I was kind of expecting Kaede…" Ino mumbles under her breath.

"I'm sorry, what was that sweetheart?"

"O-Oh, um…it's nothing Mom!" Ino quickly lies with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, well then, would you mind taking those boxes inside for me? I don't want the food to get cold."

"Sure thing," Ino rushes into the kitchen and places the boxes of take-out on the kitchen counter.

'_I can't tell Mom now. She'll only start to worry if I do. It's better if I just play it cool for now…' _

At first, it seemed like telling her mom that she didn't know where Kaede went or when she was coming back would be the best thing to do, but she knew it would only worry her and possibly make her overreact. And that was something she certainly didn't want her mother to do.

'_Kaede's fine, she can take care of herself. I'm thinking too much into this.'_ Ino reassures herself.

"So Ino, are you hungry? There should be more than enough food in those take-out boxes."

Ino nearly jumps out of her skin when her Mom's voice pulls her from her thoughts.

"O-Oh, a little hungry I guess." Ino replies awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about dinner tonight, I meant to do some grocery shopping today, but I never got around to it." Her mother apologizes with a nervous laugh.

"That's alright Mom, take-out is fine."

"I got one for your Father since he's supposed to be coming home from his mission later tonight. Just put it in the fridge for him so he can warm it up later okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing Mom," Ino takes one of the take-out boxes on the counter and puts it in the fridge.

"There's one for Kaede too when she gets hungry. Is she still at work?"

'_Crap…'_ Ino inwardly panics.

"Um well, you see, the thing is Kaede—"

The front door suddenly slides open, cutting Ino off midsentence. A disgruntled Kaede slowly makes her way inside, staring down at the floor.

'_Perfect timing,'_ Ino sighs in relief, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Oh, Kaede you're back." Ino's mother pokes her head out from the kitchen door and looks at Kaede with a small smile.

"Hey Mrs. Yamanaka," Kaede greets the blonde haired woman with a slight wave of her hand.

"Is something the matter Kaede?"

"No, just…a little tired is all." Kaede closes the door behind her and heads inside the kitchen.

"Well, I'm sure a good meal and some rest will make you feel better. You've been putting in quite a lot of hours lately at work haven't you? It wouldn't be good if you were to wear yourself out."

"Yeah, thanks I think I'll do that," Kaede smiles weakly.

It made her feel a little better to hear some kind words after a long day of studying and searching...well trying to study.

"Well, if you need me for anything I'll be upstairs. I think I'll turn in a little early myself." Ino's mother yawns.

Ino and Kaede both nod before she walks out the kitchen and upstairs to her room. Ino turns her attention to Kaede when she sees her leaning against the fridge, her bangs hanging over her eyes.

"Alright, out with it Kaede." Ino demands putting her hands on her hips.

"Out with what?" she sighs.

"You know exactly what! You rush out the house without even saying when you'll be back or where you'll be and—"

"Sorry, I…I sort of lost track of the time." Kaede apologizes, her pale grey eyes slowly meeting Ino's.

"Exactly what were you doing Kaede? I know it may not be any of my business to know whatever is going on, but you know I'm here to talk if something's bugging you right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I worried you, I was just…" Kaede quickly rubs at her eyes as she bites on the lower end of her lip.

"You were just…wait have you been crying?" Ino asks a little surprised.

"M-Maybe a little?" Kaede laughs bitterly, feeling tears cloud her vision for the second time today.

'_God, why do I have to be such an idiot? Getting so emotional over this…'_

Kaede sighs in defeat. It was better to tell someone about what happened than to keep her feelings all bottled up inside and figure things out herself. And what better person than a friend who was like the sister she never had? A bossy, outspoken, nonetheless a kind person and friend to her.

* * *

"Oh, I see. That explains why you were gone for so long." Ino nods her head in understanding at Kaede's words and places her empty takeout box on the floor along with her chopsticks.

"Yeah, I looked everywhere for that bracelet. I checked the lost and found at the Library in case anyone picked it up, but I doubt anyone would be willing to just turn it in. I even retraced my steps outside in case I dropped it on the way here, but I still couldn't find it." Kaede sighs in disappointment.

"I'm even more surprised that Shikamaru would get you something so nice. I knew he was planning on getting you a gift, but this is really something!" Ino ponders with a sly smile.

In Ino's mind, it made more sense that Shikamaru would get something that nice for his girlfriend than his best friend. Then again, this was Shikamaru she was talking about.

'_He's known Kaede a lot longer than Temari…but still.' _Ino mentally ponders.

"It's not like it really matters anyway," Kaede shrugs meekly. "I've looked everywhere for it and it's gone..."

"How about I help look for it?" Ino offers.

"Thanks for the offer Ino, but I don't think searching the village again would make much of a difference now at this point. We'd probably just wind up wasting our time trying."

"Do you want that bracelet back or not?"

"Well, yeah but—"

"Then we'll keep looking. I'm sure if we ask around the village, someone will give us a lead to it."

"Ino, I appreciate the offer, but you don't have to—"Kaede's words are cut off by the sound of a doorbell.

"Hold that thought," Ino gets up from her spot on Kaede's bed and quickly heads down the stairs to answer the door.

'_I guess Dad is home from his mission.' _Ino unlocks the door and slides it open.

She blinks twice, staring up at the person in front of her, obviously taken by surprise to see someone other than her father to be standing on their doorstep. A young man who looked about a year or two older than her and was also a few inches taller.

"Can I…help you?" Ino asks.

"Yeah, does Kaede Himawari live here by any chance?" he asks with a polite smile.

Ino simply nods her head and watches the young man pull out a black box from his pocket. "I think this belongs to her. I found it in the Library earlier today."

Her eyes widen in surprise before a wide smile spreads across her lips and she nods frantically. "Yeah, she's been looking for a bracelet. She'll be happy to hear that you've found it."

'_And being returned by someone so…'_ Ino blushes a little, but it quickly dissipates when an idea forms into the back of her mind.

"You wouldn't mind stepping in for a moment would you? Kaede was giving a reward for whoever found her bracelet." Ino lies with an eager smile.

He stares down at Ino a little surprised, but he slowly nods his head and smiles. "Um, sure, but I wasn't planning on—"

"Alright, make yourself at home then! Don't forget to take your shoes off first!" Ino grabs his wrist and gently tugs him inside the house.

He struggles a bit, but manages to take off his shoes while still being pulled along by Ino before being led to the living room couch.

"I'll go let Kaede know you're here okay? Wait right here,"

He nods and opens his mouth to speak only to have Ino turn around and rush up the stairs before he could say another word.

"Kaede, Kaede!" Ino nearly bursts through the door, nearly startling Kaede out of her wits.

"W-What is it Ino?"

"Come downstairs, there's something you gotta see!" Ino insists.

"Huh, can it wait Ino? I have to-HEY!" Kaede yelps in surprise as Ino grabs her by the wrist and pulls her up to her feet before leading her down the stairs.

"Ino what are you-"

"Just wait and see,"

"Do you have to be so persistent? I can walk perfectly-"

Kaede cuts her sentence off short as she stares at the stranger in the living room. "...fine."

_'I'll say,'_ Ino giggles to herself, staring at the young man in their living room.

The young man stands up from his spot on the couch before making his way over to Kaede and Ino. Kaede stares up at him, her eyes doing a quick once over of his appearance. Her pale grey eyes took in his layered chin-length dark brown hair that held a lighter shade of brown in his front bangs. His eyes, which were a shade of a forest green were hidden behind a pair of black rectangle framed glasses. His outfit consisted of a simple white short-sleeved t-shirt with a pair of black khaki pants.

_'Wait isn't this...the same guy I ran into at the library?'_ Kaede wonders to herself.

"You're Kaede Himawari right?" the young man asks.

Kaede nods her head silently before he gently grabs her hand and places a black velvet box in it. "I believe this belongs to you."

"What...?" Kaede stares down at the box before she slowly opens it to see her bracelet still intact. She stares at it completely taken aback before looking back at the young man that stood before her.

"H-How did you...how did you find it? I've been looking everywhere for it and-"

"You dropped it in the library when you ran into me earlier today. I asked around where I might find you so that I could return it. Sorry if I had you worrying that someone stole it or something." he apologizes with a sheepish smile.

Kaede shakes her hands in front of her face defensively. "N-No, no. It's okay, I'm just glad I got it back. Thank you um..."

"Sayu, my name's Sayu." he says with a small bow.

"Right, Sayu. Listen um, I didn't exactly post a wanted sign for my missing bracelet. So if it's a reward you're looking for, I don't really have a problem giving-" Sayu puts a hand up to cut Kaede off.

"I wasn't looking to get a reward in return, but if it's any consolation, seeing that smile on your face is really the best reward I could ask for."

Kaede simply stands there with a dumbfounded expression before her cheeks slowly begin to turn a light shade of pink. Ino simply gapes at the scene as if she couldn't believe her own ears.

_'Wow, cute and knows how to throw a good pick-up line...'_ Ino thinks.

"Oh, um...thanks." Kaede responds, albeit in an awkwardly fashion.

Sayu simply smiles at her in reply before turning his eyes toward the clock. "Well, I should probably get going. Hopefully I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, see ya around." Kaede nods her head a bit in agreement.

Sayu chuckles a bit before looking in Ino's direction. "I'll just let myself out,"

Ino nods her head before she smiles, watching Sayu turn around and head out the front door.

_'Well, this has definitely gotten a lot more interesting...'_ Ino thinks with a sly smile, glancing in Kaede's direction.

* * *

**Evafan24:** Yes, the new character has finally been 'properly' introduced to Ino and Kaede and it looks like he's already taken a bit of an interest in Kaede. How will Shikamaru react to this when he finds out? Stay tuned and find out in the next edition of the Wounded Deer! Reviews, feedback, and or messages are very much appreciated. I'd like to know how I'm doing and see if there's anything I could improve on. It took me a while to decide on exactly how I wanted Sayu to look and how to describe him since he's going to be apart of this story. So yeah...


	16. Chapter 16

**Evafan24**: Sorry for the long wait guys, I just finished typing this up today and I kept procrastinating when I did have time, but when I wanted to update ironically I didn't seem to have the time to. I really appreciate all of you being patient with me and support for the story as well. ^^

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or it's characters, just this plot, Kaede and Sayu.

* * *

"Alright, I want the down and dirty on this guy Kaede. And don't leave any details out like you did the last time!"

"W-What're you talking about there is no down and dirty Ino! I just happened to run into Sayu on my way out of the Library yesterday. It's not that big a deal."

Ino sighs under her breath before she pinches the bridge of her nose. "I still can't believe you would leave out a detail like this!" Ino sighs.

Last night, Kaede had finally come clean about her whereabouts and explained to Ino that she had misplaced her bracelet, the gift Shikamaru had given to her. Kaede left out a few minor details from the story such as her run-in with Shikamaru and Temari as well as literally running into Sayu a few minutes afterward.

Kaede turns her attention to the front door of the Yamanaka Flower Shop as the bell above the door jingles.

"Leave what out?" A voice interrupts.

Once Kaede saw the familiar sight of pink hair and green eyes, she knew the interrogation would only get worse.

"Get a load of this Sakura! Kaede's been keeping stuff from me!" Ino accuses, pointing a finger at Kaede.

"I wasn't keeping anything from you Ino. Besides, it's not really all that interesting anyway." Kaede mumbles, leaning against the cash register Ino stood behind.

"What kind of stuff has she been keeping from you exactly?" Sakura asks, her eyebrows rising slightly in curiosity.

"Kaede here ran into this really cute guy at the Library and—"

"Ino, could you at least let me be the one to tell her? After all, you WERE the one whining about how I was keeping stuff from you." Kaede interrupts with a frown.

Ino folds her arms across her chest and replies with a loud 'hmph', but signals Kaede to continue. Sakura simply turns her eyes toward Kaede to hear her side of the story.

"Well, this is the short version of what happened. While I was at the library yesterday, I lost the bracelet that Shikamaru gave to me for my birthday. I ran into this guy named Sayu while I was heading out the library and he came to our house last night to return back the bracelet because he happened to find it before I did. That's it." Kaede summarizes.

Kaede shows the sterling bracelet on her wrist out to Sakura and she doesn't say a word for a moment or two before a sly smile reaches her face.

"So, how cute is this guy?" Sakura asks with a soft chuckle.

"Really cute, not as cute as Sai-kun of course, but he's cute nonetheless." Ino grins from ear to ear.

Sakura rolls her eyes at Ino's remark. "I was asking Kaede."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second there. I just met the guy for crying out loud, he's pretty much still a stranger to me." Kaede holds up her hands in front of her defensively, her cheeks quickly burning a light shade of pink of embarrassment.

Ino elbows Kaede in the arm in a joking way and shoots her a wink. "Doesn't mean you can't think a stranger is cute. A stranger, might I add, that obviously has the hots for you."

"No way, are you serious?" Sakura beams, her green orbs sparkling with jubilance.

"Seeing that smile on your face is really the best reward I could ask for." Ino imitates, adding a 'boyish' tone to her voice. "That's what he said to her!"

"Guuuuuuys quit making such a big deal out if it!" Kaede drawls, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh don't be so dramatic Kaede, besides it's all in good fun." Ino replies, pulling Kaede's hands away from her face.

'_Fun for whom exactly?'_ Kaede thought indignantly.

"You certainly have no room to talk about drama Ino." Sakura teases, earning a glare from Ino.

"Oh and you do?" Ino challenges.

'_Aaaand they're off ladies and gentlemen.'_ Kaede rubs her temples in aggravation as an argument quickly ensues between Sakura and Ino.

Kaede looks over towards the entrance of the Yamanaka Flower Shop as the bell above the door jingles again, signaling a customer had just walked in.

"Um…hey guys." a voice greets somewhat awkwardly.

To Kaede's surprise, both Ino and Sakura manage to cease their bickering and give their full attention to the new customer that had just arrived. Ino smiles at the newcomer.

"Oh hey Tenten, what's up?" Ino greets the Panda-haired girl cheerfully.

'_Uh, can someone say bipolar?'_ Kaede merely shakes her head at Ino's sudden change in demeanor.

"I was actually looking for Kaede. I ran into Shizune-san a little while ago and she wanted me to tell you she needs you to come into work today." Tenten explains, looking over at Kaede.

"What, but she told me I could have the day off today!"

Tenten simply shrugs her shoulders and smiles in a somewhat sympathetic manner. "Shizune-san said that the person that was supposed to cover your shift just called in sick today."

'_Well, at least this gets Ino and Sakura off my back about Sayu…'_ Kaede thought to herself.

Kaede pushes herself off the wall she was leaning against with a sigh. "Guess I better head out then. I'll catch you guys later."

"See ya Kaede," Sakura and Tenten both wave her off as she heads out the flower shop and to the hospital.

Tenten turns around to face Sakura and Ino. "So, what was all that fuss about earlier?" she asks.

Ino and Sakura exchange a look before they both suddenly begin to smile slyly. By the look on their faces, Tenten could tell it was good, bad or possibly both.

* * *

"So, that's what kept us waiting?"

"Sorry Neji, I didn't know Gai-sensei wanted us to meet up today." Tenten apologizes with a sheepish smile.

Tenten hadn't intended on stay at the Yamanaka Flower Shop for very long. She had originally gone in to tell Kaede she had to cover for someone at the hospital. Once Kaede left, Ino and Sakura had let Tenten in on the details of what had happened with Kaede and the cute new boy Sayu. In the midst of all it, a part of Tenten regretted asking them in the first place and the other half just couldn't help but want to know all the nitty-gritty details.

Neji sighs in distaste before shaking his head. "I suppose it's not a surprise that Lee didn't get the memo. He was supposed to let you know beforehand."

"Well, Gai-sensei shouldn't be at the Training Grounds for another thirty minutes. So we've still got some time."

As Neji and Tenten make their way over to the Training Grounds, Neji suddenly stops in his tracks, his Hyūga eyes scanning the area cautiously.

Tenten, who was following closely behind Neji stopped and stared at Neji's back. "Is something the matter Neji?"

"Over there," Neji points a finger up ahead.

"Huh, I don't—"

A flash of green suddenly passes Tenten's line of sight followed by a flash of brown. The sound of kunai knives sliding against one another could be heard as the two figures clash against each other simultaneously, creating sparks from the kunai. It wasn't hard to figure out that judging by the speed they were moving in, Lee was involved.

'_Why doesn't this surprise me?_' Tenten thought with a soft sigh. _'Involved in yet another match with someone?'_

Neji simply continues to watch from afar silently, watching the battle intently. It was a bit difficult to tell who the other person was considering how quickly they were both moving. After a few more minutes of spark clashing kunai, the two figures finally slow their pace and stop. Lee smiles a bit, panting a bit to catch his breath whilst his opponent was having a much more difficult time trying to catch his breath.

"Impressive, I did not expect you to be able to keep up this long considering your level." Lee smiles half-tiredly, putting his kunai away.

His opponent leans against a large tree trunk for support as his chest quickly rises and falls before he smiles weakly in return. "T-Thank you, but I know I still got a long way to go. Taijutsu isn't exactly my strongest point."

Lee smiles and gives him one of his signature smiles and thumbs up. "Not to worry, I'm sure if you keep working hard, you will get the hang of it!" Lee reassures.

"So, how long have you two been at it?" Tenten asks curiously.

Lee turns around and smiles when he sees Tenten and Neji standing there. "Neji, Tenten! When did you get here?"

"Are you really that unobservant Lee?" Tenten deadpans.

Neji's gaze wanders over towards the newcomer that was leaning against the tree when he finally speaks up.

"I apologize; I'm the one that asked him to spar with me in the first place." He apologizes with a short bow.

Neji and Tenten both exchange a look of slight disbelief before looking back at the stranger. It wasn't very often Lee was challenged up front by someone he didn't know. If anyone it was usually Neji.

Neji simply nods in reply before turning his focus back on Lee. "So, aren't you going to introduce us to your partner?"

Lee blinked twice before he nods fervently. "Neji, Tenten, this is Sayu. Sayu, these are my teammates Tenten and Neji Hyūga." He introduces.

Neji simply nods his head in acknowledgment at Sayu whilst Tenten stood there a bit surprised.

"I thought that name sounded familiar," Tenten suddenly smiles. "I'm guessing you're already familiar with Kaede Himawari right?"

Sayu blinks, slightly taken aback by her words but he nods in reply. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Let's just say a little bird told me."

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"You could say that." Tenten nods.

Sayu nods his head in understanding before he proceeds to put his kunai knife…that is until he catches Tenten eyeing it intently. "Hold on a second," Tenten murmurs, making her way over to Sayu.

"What's the matter Tenten?" Lee asks.

"I can't believe you didn't recognize it earlier. That kunai of yours…" Tenten said, albeit more to herself.

Sayu blinks dumbfoundedly when Tenten suddenly takes the kunai from his hand and examines it carefully. Lee and Neji exchange looks before staring back at Tenten.

"Kunai…?" Lee scratches the back of his head in confusion.

"This kunai, it's a one of a kind Akiyoshi Kunai Blade!" Tenten exclaims. "It's even got the initials engraved in them!"

"Um, yeah…that it does." Sayu nods somewhat awkwardly.

"I've always wanted to have a weapon made by the Akiyoshi clan, but they're so expensive. Are you apart of the Akiyoshi clan Sayu?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Sayu slowly shakes his head in reply.

"What's so special about an Akiyoshi weapon Tenten?" Lee asks.

"Are you kidding? Their weapons are known for being made with the best materials out there! And their weapons are guaranteed to last a lot longer than ordinary weapons out on the market."

"Wow, is that really true Sayu?" Lee turns to Sayu.

"I suppose so, but I wouldn't go far as saying they're better than any weapon." Sayu takes back the kunai from Tenten.

Neji folds his arms across his chest, the look on his face clearly showing he wasn't really buying it. "If that's true, why aren't they sold here?"

"They're only a handful of shops that sell their weapons, but it probably won't be long before their franchise comes here too." Sayu stares down at the kunai in his hand, slowly clutching it in his hand.

"Really, guess I better start saving up for when they finally come here." Tenten smiles eagerly at the thought.

"I'm also interested to see more of these Akiyoshi weapons." Lee nods in agreement.

"You got anymore weapons like that Sayu? Because I—SAYU YOUR HAND!" Tenten exclaims, pointing down at Sayu's blood covered hand.

Sayu slowly opens up his hand to see a gash in the middle of his hand where he had been holding the kunai, blood dripping down from his knuckles. He allows the kunai to fall to the ground with a clatter and stares down at his wound. "Guess I should've been holding the kunai by the end of it instead of the blade."

Neji raises an eyebrow in slight suspicion, as if he couldn't believe that he couldn't hold the right end of a kunai.

"Well, we don't have a first aid kit or anything, so you might want to get that healed up at the hospital." Tenten explains.

Sayu looks up from his hand and looks at Tenten. "Do you know where it is?"

"Sure, it's—"Tenten suddenly stops herself as if she had been hit with an epiphany.

"I-I can show you the way there Sayu." Tenten quickly volunteers with a nod.

"Alright, lead the way." Sayu smiles a little with a nod.

Tenten turns to her teammates. "If Gai-sensei shows up, tell him I had to go take someone to the hospital."

"Uh, sure thing Tenten, but are you sure that Sayu can—"Lee is cut off by Tenten.

"Thanks, I'll be back soon. Let's go Sayu," Tenten motions for him to follow her as she heads off to Konoha's Hospital.

Sayu takes one last glance at Tenten's teammates, shooting them both an apologetic smile before he quickly follows after her.

* * *

**Evafan24**: Looks like Tenten & Sayu are headed to the Hospital. Perhaps there was a reason why Tenten offered to show him to the hospital. Hehe, well anyway, hope you all enjoyed the latest installment. The next one will be up soon so stay tuned! Feedback is always appreciated. ^.^


	17. Chapter 17

**Evafan24:** Hey everyone, I know it's been a little while since I've updated this story. But I'm happy to announce that I've updated twice in the same week! Hehe, I know that doesn't sound like anything, but that's sort of rare for me. Anyway, I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Just this story idea and the original characters I've created. Enjoy!

* * *

"So um, how much farther is it Tenten?" Sayu asks.

"Not too far, we'll be there soon." Tenten reassures him.

After his sparring match with Lee, Sayu had allowed Tenten to show him the way to the hospital after accidently cutting his hand with his kunai. He was going to insist he'd be able to find it on his own, but he figured why turn down free help if it's being offered to him?

* * *

"Welcome to Konoha's Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Yeah, my friend here needs to get his hand treated." Tenten gestures a hand towards Sayu who was standing behind her.

"Alright, if you'll just have a seat, I'll get someone to have a look." The receptionist at the front desk points over to the chairs that were directly behind them.

"Thank you," Tenten smiles at the woman before she takes a seat with Sayu following behind her.

* * *

_'I'm asked to come in on my day off and I end up doing paper work? You would think I'd be doing something a little more useful than this if I'm asked to come in on my day off work.' _ Kaede gently pushes away the paperwork on her desk and sighs.

Kaede turns her head towards the door when she hears someone knock and open the door.

"Kaede, there's a patient in the lobby that needs treating." The receptionist pokes her head in Kaede's little office.

"Sure, uh…bring them in." Kaede blinks a little surprised before she nods.

The receptionist leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with two people standing close by her.

"Hey Kaede," Tenten greets with a wave and smile.

"Hey Tenten, what did you need me to heal for you?" she asks.

"Oh, it's not me that needed the healing. Sayu here is the one that needs to be treated." Tenten takes a step away from the doorway to allow Sayu to walk through the door.

Kaede's eyes widen slightly for a moment. She certainly wasn't expecting to see Sayu so soon or at least, not in the hospital. "Sayu…?"

"I didn't know you worked here." Sayu stares down at Kaede with a mixture of surprise and happiness.

Kaede smiles nervously, running a hand through her hair. "I uh…didn't expect to see you in here."

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone." Tenten smiles slyly.

"T-Tenten!" Kaede begins to blush a little and scowl while Sayu laughs a little.

"I'm only kidding. I'll see ya later okay?" Tenten waves the two off before closing the door and leaving to meet with her teammates.

_'Great, as if having Ino and Sakura on my back about Sayu wasn't bad enough…'_ Kaede sighs under her breath.

"You know, when I said I'd see you around; I didn't think it'd be like this." Sayu gives her a half smile.

"Yeah…me either." Kaede reluctantly nods her head. "Oh, why don't you have a seat in that chair? I'll have a look at that hand wound of yours in just a second."

"Sure thing doctor," Sayu sits in the empty patient's seat, sitting on the paper that was placed on top of it.

"Well, I hardly have enough experience to really be called a doctor. But thank you."

Sayu watches Kaede stand up from her office chair and walk over to him. She carefully takes the wrist where he injured his hand, staring at the dried up blood that caked over the wound.

"Well, you managed to stop the bleeding which is good. How exactly did this happen?" Kaede looks up at him.

"I sort of…accidently cut myself while I was holding my kunai. I uh, wasn't exactly holding it correctly. Stupid mistake, I know." Sayu sheepishly admits.

"Oh, I suppose these things happen from time to time if you aren't too careful. Fortunately the cut isn't too deep so I should be able to heal it right up for you with no problems." Kaede replies.

"Really, well that's good to hear." Sayu smiles a little which Kaede returns as well.

"Yeah, it is. Just be more careful okay?"

Sayu nods his head. "I will, I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble. In all honestly, you saved me from having to spend more time on my paper work. I'd rather be treating patients then paper work any day." Kaede giggles a bit.

"Guess that makes me special…?" Sayu shoots her a coy smile.

"Sure, I'd like to think all my patients are. Alright now, hold still for me okay?"

Sayu nods and watches Kaede hold a hand over his wounded hand before her own hand began to glow a light shade of green. The gash on the palm his hand slowly began to heal as the glow from Kaede's hand grew a little brighter until his hand had completely healed.

"Wow…nice job. You're really good with your hands." Sayu stares at his healed hand, rubbing the inside of his palm where his wound once was.

"Thanks…I think." Kaede blushes a bit, but smiles.

"Makes me wonder what else those hands are good at doing…"

"…What?" Kaede's face pales before it turns a darker shade of red at the innuendo.

Sayu froze up for a moment, as if realizing he had just said something insulting. "I-I'm sorry, I thought the joke would fit this situation. Perhaps that was going a little too far…" Sayu forces a small laugh, hoping to evade some of the awkwardness.

_'I-I can't believe he just said that!'_ Kaede quickly shakes her head. "N-No, it's okay… I can take a joke."

"Hey um, Kaede can I ask you something?"

"Well technically you already have, but sure."

"I haven't been in Konoha for very long, so I'm not too familiar with many of the restaurants here. You have any suggestions on where I could grab a bite to eat later?"

Kaede tapped the bottom of her chin with her pen for a moment or two, pondering what to respond with before her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh…well aside from Ichiraku Ramen, I know there's a great Chinese restaurant called the Shushuya not too far from here. Have you heard of it?"

"I think so. Is that the place that sells big plates of food?" Sayu recalls.

"Yeah, that's the one. They make their own brand of sake too, but I'm not exactly old enough to drink. So I wouldn't exactly know how it tastes."

"Really, if the plates are big maybe we could share or something?"

"Huh?"

"W-Wait no, I mean yes, uh, that…didn't exactly come out the way I wanted it to." Sayu sighs under his breath in slight aggravation.

_'Wait is he…is he asking me out?'_ Kaede raises an eyebrow almost in disbelief at what she was hearing.

Kaede is forced out of her reverie when Sayu awkwardly coughs into his hand, hoping to save a bit of face after his first failed attempt.

"What I mean to say is… if you'd like to go out this Friday night? Go to that Shushuya restaurant together. " Sayu asks, a soft pink blush now dusting his cheeks.

"O-Oh, this Friday? I'm not-"

"Of course if you've already got something planned I completely-"

"N-No, it's not that I'm busy. I'm just not…sure at the moment."

"Well…you don't have to decide right away. I'll let you think it over for a bit. Just …let me know before Friday okay?"

And with that, Sayu got up and began to head for the door. But not before turning to look back at Kaede. "Oh and uh…thanks for healing up my hand by the way."

Kaede watched Sayu head out the door and shut it behind him, leaving her alone with one single question echoing in her mind.

What just happened…?

* * *

**Evafan24:** Looks like Sayu's already made his first move. So, what do you think? Will Kaede agree to go out with him, or will her feelings for a certain Nara boy keep her from doing so? Find out in the next chapter!

(Yes, I'm well aware this chapter was a little short compared to the others, but I felt this would be a good stopping place. So, that being said, until next time!)


	18. Chapter 18

**Evafan24:** I looked over my chapters of my Shikamaru and saw how screwed up my tenses are. I've struggled with tenses for quite some time and I've managed to slow my habit of switching from past to present tense. This story **WILL BE** in past tense. So I'll try and change the rest of my other chapters back to past tense... when I find the spare time of course. Moving right along, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I do however, own Kaede, Sayu and this plot. Enjoy~

* * *

"HE DID WHAT?"

"Ino do you have to be so loud?"

"How can I not be? Sayu asked you out, this is great news!"

"Ino…"

After Kaede finished her shift at Konoha Hospital, she quickly returned to the Yamanaka Household, lured by the thought of a hot bath and some home cooked food. Instead, she was nearly tackled at the door by Ino who insisted that she tell her everything that happened when she healed up Sayu at the hospital.

'_I guess it's no surprise that Ino managed to get Tenten to spill the news._' Kaede sighed to herself.

"So, what did you say to him when he asked you out? Where are you guys going? Oooh, I'm so jealous!" Ino babbled on with glee.

'_Man, when did she get so nosy?_' Kaede thought.

Kaede knew Ino meant well, but sometimes she could be a little overbearing when it came to boys.

"Ino, one question at a time, at least let me take my shoes off at the door." Kaede removed her shoes before placing them by the door. She made her way into the living room before lying down on the couch.

"Okay, now spill. Tell me everything!" Ino urged with a grin, leaning over the couch.

"Isn't that how I got into this mess in the first place?" Kaede placed her hands behind her head in a lazy fashion and stared up at the ceiling.

"What are you talking about?" Ino frowned, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well for starters, if you hadn't told Tenten about what happened with Sayu at the library, this probably wouldn't have happened." Kaede reminded. "And besides, I didn't even give him an answer when he asked me out."

"Why not, Sayu seems like a nice enough guy to go out with. Hell if I didn't have a thing for Sai-kun, I'd probably ask him out myself." Ino giggled.

"Ino," Kaede glared warningly.

Ino held up her hands in front of her defensively and laughed a little. "I'm kidding, but joking aside… why didn't you give him an answer? He deserves that much right?"

"It's not that I don't think Sayu is a nice guy, because he is. It just… feels so weird you know?"

"How does it feel weird exactly?" Ino stared at Kaede with a baffled look.

"It's just that, I don't want to go out with a guy I don't really know very well. Plus, there's still the fact that I haven't exactly gotten over you-know-who." Kaede sighed sullenly. "I know it probably sounds stupid because he's already going out with someone else… but still."

Kaede was beginning to hate the feelings that bubbled up inside her whenever she thought of that familiar ponytailed haired man. Hating the fact that she couldn't say anything because it could permanently ruin what she already had with Shikamaru… and what he had with Temari. Why did love have to be so… troublesome?

Ino sighed before she sat down on the couch beside Kaede, gently putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Listen Kaede, the point of dating is getting to know the person you're going out with. You shouldn't have to go on feeling miserable because of who Shikamaru is dating. I know you've always had a thing for him… but wouldn't it be better to try and explore your options a little instead of aimlessly hoping and waiting for something to happen between you and Shikamaru? And besides, don't you think Shikamaru would be happy knowing that his best friend is happy too?"

Kaede stayed quiet, mulling over Ino's words. It was hard to admit, but she did have a point. Why hope for Shikamaru to break up with Temari and come crawling to her to confess his undying affections when he didn't even feel the same way? It was better to think realistically about the situation rather than hope for something that wasn't going to happen.

"I guess so…" Kaede reluctantly nodded her head.

"I'm not saying you have to go out with this guy or anything, just try and be a little more open-minded to new things in general. And think about what I said okay?" Ino moved her hand away from Kaede's shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind." Kaede nodded. "Oh, and Ino?"

"Yeah, Kaede?"

"Thank you…"

* * *

"Thank you, come again!" Ino waved off the male customer as he walked out of the Yamanaka Flower Shop with a bouquet of roses in his arms.

Ino rested her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she sighed romantically at the thought of receiving flowers.

"Slow day huh?" A voice suddenly spoke with a chuckle.

"Huh?" Ino snapped out of her trance, a soft pink blush rising to the apples of her cheeks after being caught in the act of daydreaming. "Oh, hey Shikamaru, did you need something?"

Shikamaru lazily slid his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Well technically, you're needed for something. Tsunade-sama wanted to see you to give you a briefing over a mission she needed you for. She said it required using your jutsu."

"What, she needs to see me right now?" Ino frowned. "But I'm working."

"Then get your Mom to take over your shift or something." Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"She's out right now. I can't close the store during business hours either." Ino muttered indigently. "And I can't leave the store unattended. Unless…" Ino trailed off.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in suspicion at the mischevious glint in Ino's eyes. He didn't like where this was going.

"Say Shikamaru, you're not busy right now are you?" Ino asked.

"No, but—"Shikamaru was cut off as Ino suddenly tossed her yellow apron to him which he quickly caught in his hand before it could hit his face.

"Great, then you can watch the store for me while I'm gone. Just be sure not to mess up the arrangement of the flowers. Oh and give them a little water while I'm gone okay? I'll be right back." Ino waved Shikamaru off before she headed towards the Hokage Tower.

"As if I have a choice now…" Shikamaru grumbled in annoyance, tossing the apron over his shoulders, letting it hit the counter.

'_Guess I'm stuck here until Ino gets back… what a drag._' Shikamaru leaned against the counter, looking around at all the flowers until he spotted a blue metal watering can nearby.

He picked it up and held the nozzle over the flowers, only to find that nothing was coming out.

"Great, it's empty." Shikamaru sighed and placed the watering can back down.

Suddenly, the bell above the door to the shop jingled, signaling that a new customer had walked in.

'_So much for a slow day,'_ Shikamaru snorted under his breath. _'Ino didn't even tell me what to do if customers show up.'_

"Excuse me," A male voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

Shikamaru tore his gaze away from the ceiling and towards the young man that stood in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he looked to be about the same age as Shikamaru, possibly a year or so older. _'Can't believe I'm doing this.'_ Shikamaru mentally slapped his forehead.

"Yeah, you need something?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm looking to buy a rose." The customer said.

"Gonna need you to be more specific there." Shikamaru gestured a hand towards all the flowers in the shop.

Even though Shikamaru didn't know squat about flower arranging, he knew there was more than just one type of rose color. At least that's what Ino told him.

The man pondered for a moment or two before he smiled. "How about a peach rose, it represents modesty and coming together. Or so I've been told."

"A peach rose huh…?" Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, looking around the store, hoping to find a peach colored rose sticking around. Fortunately, he found a few of them sticking out nearby a few yellow and red roses.

Shikamaru grabbed a single thorn-less peach rose before walking over to the male customer and handing it over to him.

"Thank you, would you mind attaching this small note to the flower and have it delivered to her?" The man held out a piece of paper to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded in reply before taking the folded note. "Alright, who is the note being delivered to?"

"Oh, her name's Kaede Himawari." The man smiled as he spoke her name.

"K-Kaede…?" Shikamaru's normal lazy brown eyes dilated slightly as he nodded.

"Yeah, do you know her or something?"

Shikamaru somehow managed to overcome the brief shock he felt before he slowly nodded. "Yeah… she's a friend of mine." He admitted.

"Oh, really, that'll make things a lot easier then. Could you hand deliver the rose and note to her for me?"

For some reason, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a tinge of reluctance hit him. But he eventually agreed with a nod of his head.

"Tell her the note is from Sayu, she'll know who it is if you tell her that."

"Yeah uh… sure thing." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head with his free hand, staring down at the unopened note and flower.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Sayu smiled and paid the necessary money for the flower before leaving the store, leaving behind a dumbstruck Shikamaru.

* * *

**Evafan24:** Looks like Shikamaru's finally found out about Kaede's little secret admirer... well not-so-secret admirer. I wonder how Kaede will explain this to him? Anyway, thanks for reading everyone! Messages and feedback are always welcome... just no flames please. ^^;;


	19. Chapter 19

**Evafan24:** Hey everyone, I'm back in school. I meant to put this out during the weekend, but I got caught up in studying for a math test and running Saturday errands. Well enough with the excuses, onto the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I do however, own this story idea I've written out and I own Kaede & Sayu.

* * *

"Shizune-sensei, I'm going on my lunch break!"

"Alright, but don't stay out too long alright? I'll need you to come back as soon as you're done."

"Got it,"

Kaede walked out the Konoha Hospital, her pale gray eyes staring up at the cloud-less sky before she stared down at her wrist watch.

"Guess Ichiraku is the best way to go for a quick lunch." Kaede muttered to herself.

* * *

"Thank you for waiting, here's your order."

"Thank you Teuchi-san."

Kaede pulled apart her chopsticks once her bowl of beef ramen was placed in front of her. She began to happily devour her bowl of ramen, making loud slurping noises.

"It's good huh?" Ayame chuckled, watching Kaede eat with a hint of amusement playing in her eyes.

Kaede looked up from her bowl, ramen hanging from her mouth. She blushed and swallowed what was left in her mouth before she nodded in a sheepish fashion. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've had Ichiraku Ramen. Usually I just pack my lunch or bring some instant ramen to work, but I sort of forgot to pack my lunch today."

"Well it's always nice to have you stop by and have some ramen." Teuchi smiled.

"How's the job at the hospital coming along by the way?" Ayame asked. "I hear Shizune-san's got your hands pretty full."

"Yeah, she keeps me busy." Kaede smiled a bit. "It's a lot of hard work, but I really do love my job."

"Have you ever thought about becoming a Field medic-nin instead of just working in the hospital?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about it. I've accompanied Shizune-sensei out on the field a few times during missions that called for a few medics, but I prefer working in the hospital and aiding people here." Kaede nodded thoughtfully, slurping up more noodles from her bowl of ramen.

"You shouldn't get too comfortable working in one place. You might have to go back out on the field if a mission calls for more medical assistance." A familiar male voice butted in.

"Oh Shikamaru, nice of you to drop by." Ayame smiled at the ponytail-haired boy.

Kaede coughed, nearly choking on her ramen when she heard the familiar lazy voice behind her. She grabbed her glass of water before taking a few drinks of it.

"Uh, are you holding up okay over there Kaede?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Kaede's peculiar choking spasm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just, ate a little too fast." Kaede lied, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

'D_éjà vu,'_ Shikamaru mentally pictured when he startled the crap out of Kaede at the Library. _'I wonder how often this is going to happen?'_

"Can I get you anything Shikamaru?" Teuchi asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No thanks, I just needed to give Kaede something."

Kaede slowly turned around in the stool she sat in, now facing Shikamaru. "Give me what exactly?"

"Here," Shikamaru placed a peach rose and note on the table and gently pushed it towards her.

"W-What's this for?" Kaede gaped at the beautiful peach rose, taking notice of the small note attached to the green stem before staring up at Shikamaru.

Ayame glanced between Shikamaru and Kaede before she placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggle. _'Well aren't you a charmer?' She_ headed back into the kitchen to give the two their 'alone time'.

"Some guy named Sayu asked me to give this to you earlier today." Shikamaru took a seat in a stool beside Kaede.

"Oh, I see…" Kaede carefully picked up the rose, the note connected to a string that was tied to the flower stem.

'_How I managed to get my hopes up all of a sudden is completely beyond me.'_ Kaede inwardly face-palmed.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Shikamaru pointed out with a small frown.

"It's not that, it's just… unexpected." Kaede felt as if she had to choose her words carefully.

'_I haven't thought much about what would happen if Shikamaru were to run into Sayu… at least not like this anyway._'

"So, what's the story?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Well, the thing is Sayu and I ran into each other at the library after you gave me my present and left with Temari, literally." Kaede stared down into her lap, going quiet for several seconds before she resumed speaking. "And the last time I saw him was at the hospital a few days ago. I had to patch up a small wound he had on his hand."

"Interesting," Shikamaru rested his palm underneath his chin, his elbow resting on the table.

"I guess this is his way of saying thanks?" Kaede surmised with a meek shrug.

Mentally, Kaede knew it was probably more than just a 'thank you' rose.

'_It represents modesty and coming together. Or so I've been told.'_ Sayu's words rang through Shikamaru's head.

'_If he was trying to say thanks, he probably would've picked a flower with a different meaning.'_ Shikamaru thought. _'Then again, I'm no flower expert.'_

"Well, you probably won't know for sure unless you open the note he sent along with it." Shikamaru eyed the note attached to the rose.

"Yeah, guess you're right." Kaede carefully removed the note off the string before she opened up the note, scanning what was written inside.

'_**Meet me at the practice grounds tomorrow at 6:00PM.'**_

_**-Sayu**_

Kaede's eyes dilated slightly before she folded the paper back up.

"He… he wants me to meet him tomorrow evening."

"Did he say why?"

"No…"

Shikamaru could already feel his curiosity burning at the unanswered question. He wasn't sure whether or not that meant the guy was going to be confessing to Kaede.

'_Why does it even matter whether or not this guy confesses to Kaede?'_

Shikamaru still couldn't help but feel curious, mostly because he didn't know much about this Sayu. Not to mention, Kaede never spoke about him until AFTER he met Sayu.

'_It's not like I've got any room to talk. It took me a while to come clean about Temari with Kaede._' Shikamaru mentally sighed.

And yet… it bothered him a little. But since Shikamaru considered himself a close friend of Kaede's, he thought it'd only be natural for him to feel concerned.

_'Is this how Kaede felt when I told her about Temari?'_

All that was left to do now was to ask that final burning question plaguing his mind.

"So, you interested in this guy?"

"A-Am I what?"

Shikamaru gave Kaede a flat look. "Are you gonna go out with him?"

Even though Kaede knew what Shikamaru meant the first time, the question still took her slightly off guard… considering the fact that it was coming from him.

"I don't know." Kaede meekly shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't decided yet."

Shikamaru went quiet before suddenly got off the stool he was sitting on.

"Well, hope you make up your mind soon." He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at a random spot on the table. "I should get going," Shikamaru began to walk out of Ichiraku, lifting the entrance flap over his head.

"I'll... see ya around then?" Kaede held out a hand as if to stop him.

He turned his head, looking over his shoulder to glance back at Kaede. "Yeah, I'll see ya."

* * *

"A…ACHOO!"

'_I don't know why I didn't bring a jacket when it's already this late. I hope I don't catch a cold.' _Kaede made a face at the thought.

Kaede sneezed again, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to keep warm despite the fact she was wearing a long sleeved shirt. As the long hot summer days dwindled on to fall, so did the temperature. And Kaede didn't like it. Not one bit.

'_I guess it was a mistake to come a little early to the Practice Grounds to meet Sayu.' _Kaede stared up at the sky with a dazed expression.

"Hey, Kaede!"

Kaede looked down to see Sayu running towards her, holding up a hand to wave at her. He managed to stop right in front of her without falling over completely winded.

"Sorry… did I… keep you waiting?" Sayu smiled tiredly as he panted.

Kaede shook her head. "Not really, I actually came a little early since I finished my shift at work early today."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Sayu stared at her clothes before he removed his jacket and held it out to her. "Here, this should keep you warm."

"B-But, won't you be cold without it?" Kaede held up her hands in a somewhat nervous fashion.

"I'm actually pretty hot since I ran most of the way here." Sayu chuckled. "I went back home to get a jacket, but I'm glad it's not a lost cause since it's keeping someone warm."

"Thanks Sayu," Kaede reluctantly took the jacket and put it on without sliding her arms through the sleeves. "So uh… was there something you needed to ask me out here?"

"Actually yes," Sayu nodded. "It's been a few days since I saw you at the hospital… and I wanted to know if you made up your mind."

Despite the warmth she received from the jacket, Kaede suddenly felt her blood run cold.

"Oh," Kaede scratched her neck awkwardly. "Well…"

'_Wouldn't it be better to try and explore your options a little instead of aimlessly hoping and waiting for something to happen between you and Shikamaru?__' _Ino's advice rang through her mind like a bell.

'_I can't help how I felt for Shikamaru up till this point or the sadness that's been bottled up inside me. But if I tried to explore my options a little… would that sadness ever subside?'_

Kaede swallowed thickly before she opened her mouth to respond.

"…Sure, let's go to dinner."

* * *

**Evafan24**: Looks like Kaede will be taking up on Sayu's dinner date. I wonder how that'll go... and I wonder how Shikamaru will feel about it? Anyway, thanks for sticking around and reading everyone! It means a lot for you to. ^.^


	20. Chapter 20

**Evafan24:** I'm really sorry for the wait everyone. Now that I've finished my projects & school exams, I can give you a nice update as thanks for both your patience and giving me support and motivation for this story. ^-^

* * *

"_He… he wants me to meet him tomorrow evening."_

"_Are you gonna go out with him?"_

"_I don't know." Kaede meekly shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't decided yet."_

Shikamaru stared up at the sky with a dazed expression as his previous conversation with Kaede echoed in his mind.

_'Wonder if she's made up her mind yet...'_

"I thought I'd find you up here." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Shikamaru removed his hands from behind his head and sat up from wooden bench he was resting on, staring at the person that stood in front of him. _'Temari...?'_

His brown hues met her dark green ones. "Did you now?"

"Well, it was mostly just a wild guess." Temari sat down beside Shikamaru. "I figured I'd check here since I know how much you enjoy watching the clouds and this is a good spot to watch them."

Shikamaru gave Temari a lazy shrug, shifting his eyes back to the clouds floating above his head. "Yeah, I guess..."

"So, what's on your mind?" Temari stared at Shikamaru expectantly.

"Is it that obvious?" Shikamaru sighed under his breath.

"Are you surprised that I could tell? You always get this look on your face when you've got something on your mind."

"Well, you certainly are observant aren't you?"

"Aren't I always?" Temari chuckled with a small smirk. "So, what's been bothering you?"

"It's nothing really important," Shikamaru waved the subject off in a dismissive fashion.

"Is that so...?" Temari briefly tore her gaze from the sky to stare at her boyfriend. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me now. It's not like I'd physically beat the answer out of you or anything."

"It'd just be too much of a drag to explain." Shikamaru retorted simply.

"You think everything's a drag," Temari laughed. "But I think I know just how to help get whatever it is that's on your mind off your mind."

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

"So, tonight's the big night huh?"

"Is that what dates are called now-a-days?"

"C'mon Kaede, you should be more enthusiastic." Sakura sighed. "It's important to make a good impression on a first date."

"I guess that's true." Kaede ran a hand through her hair.

"Wait, don't do that! I just finished curling it."

"Sakura, I know it's important to make a good impression, but it's not like I have to look perfect."

Kaede grabbed a few bobby pins off the bathroom sink and begins pinning her hair up into a simple low up-do that hung at the side. She allowed some of the curls to dangle down at the base of her neck and frame the side of her face.

"Well, comfort is also important." Sakura smiled a little.

"I appreciate the help though Sakura."

"I'm sure Ino would've loved to help you get ready if she wasn't already on a mission."

"Yeah, I hadn't made up my mind about going on this date when Ino and I last talked."

"I'm sure once she gets back, she'll be bombarding you with all kinds of questions." Sakura giggled. "Although I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do the same thing."

_'Truth be told, I'm actually a little envious of you Kaede. Must be nice…'_

"Aw, not you too Sakura."

"Well anyway, go hurry up and get out of that robe and go change into your outfit. Sayu is supposed to be here soon isn't he?"

"Oh, right."

* * *

_'Looks like I've come right on time.'_ Sayu pulled up the sleeve of his long sleeved dark blue shirt after double checking the time on his watch.

After re-adjusting his glasses that framed his face, he made his way towards the Yamanaka Household before knocking on the door. A few footsteps and voices could be heard in the background before the door was opened, revealing Kaede standing behind the door. She wore a simple navy blue one shoulder dress that came down a few inches below her knees with a pair of black flats and an open black cardigan worn over the dress.

"Hey Sayu," Kaede greeted with a small smile.

"O-Oh, hey Kaede." Sayu awkwardly rubbed a finger underneath his nose in an attempt to try and divert attention from his blush. "You look great."

Kaede brushed down her dress a bit, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit as well from the compliment. "Thank you, you too..."

Sayu stared down at Kaede's hands when he noticed a familiar looking bracelet on her wrist.

"Wait, is that-" Sayu pointed down at Kaede's wrist.

"Oh yeah," Kaede held up her wrist, the bracelet Shikamaru had given to her dangling from it. "It's the bracelet you found for me."

"I thought it looked familiar."

"Yeah, a really good friend of mine gave this to me as a gift."

"I see,"

_'I remember the inscribing on the box that was holding the bracelet said it was from one of her friends...'_

Sayu's eyes widened slightly when his mind flashed back to the day he had gone out to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to get a flower for Kaede.

_'Wait, was that guy I met at the flower shop earlier this week the same guy who gave her the-'_

"So, you ready to head out Sayu? It might get too crowded if we wait too long." Kaede's voice pulled Sayu from his thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right." Sayu forced his previous thoughts out of his mind before he nodded in agreement. "Let's get going then."

* * *

"Good evening and welcome to Shushuya. Table for two I assume?"

"Yes, we'll take a booth in the non-smoking section."

"Certainly, if you both follow me I'll show you to your table."

"Thank you,"

The waiter turned and led the two to their table before bowing politely. "I'll be back with your menus."

"So, this is what you had in mind Temari?"

"What, you don't like Chinese food?" Temari raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru.

"It's not that I don't," Shikamaru shook his head.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't have one."

Temari sighed in what sounded like annoyance, but didn't debate on the matter any further. "I thought it might be a good idea to go out for a change, considering most of the time we've spent together is during work hours. And lately, that time is being spent apart instead of together now that prep work for the next Chūnin Exams is almost finished."

"Yeah, the Hokage will most likely start assigning me missions again until the next one."

"And I can't neglect my duties at Sunagakure, so I'll eventually need return to my village and resume my duties as a Jōnin."

"Gee, that's a fun thought."

"There's really no getting around it Shikamaru." Temari placed her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together, resting her chin on top of them. "As much as I've enjoyed my stay here, I can't get too comfortable here."

"I know, you do what you gotta do." Shikamaru slowly nodded his head in agreement.

"Promise you'll come visit me in Suna next time?"

"Promise to meet me halfway?"

"I'm surprised you didn't say a quarter way."

"It's a drag having to travel for three days to get from my village to yours, but I suppose I could deal with it once in a while if you can."

"Welcome to my world." Temari chuckled a little and leaned over the table towards Shikamaru for a kiss.

"Sorry for the wait, here are your menus."

Temari abruptly pulled away as her menu was suddenly held out to her. Resisting the urge to hit the waiter for 'ruining the moment', she grabbed her menu with mild irritation.

"Thanks," Shikamaru took his menu before setting it down. "Just put water down for me. I need to use the restroom."

The waiter pulled out his notepad and quickly scribbled down the order before Shikamaru headed for the restrooms. He pushed opened the door to the Mens' bathroom, but paused when the Womens' bathroom door suddenly opened.

_'Wait a sec—'_Shikamaru stared at the female figure that shook the water off her hands before she looked up, feeling a pair of eyes staring at her.

"U-Uh, hey Shikamaru."

"Hey Kaede,"

_'Of all the places to run into him, it had to be here?'__  
_

"So, what brings you here?" Kaede asked with a nervous smile.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "Temari brought me here to get something to eat."

"Oh, sounds nice." Despite her thinking it was anything but nice.

It was at that moment that Kaede picked up on Shikamaru taking note of her choice of clothing for the evening.

"I just thought I'd… wear something nice tonight. Does it look weird?"

"No, it suits you fine..."

Despite the compliment lacking in some ways, Kaede felt her cheeks go slightly aflame, but luckily not enough for Shikamaru to really notice.

"Thanks... I guess,"

"So you took up on that guy's offer then?"

Kaede suddenly felt as if her brain had switched to panic mode and the color drain from her face. "Yeah, he's my… date for tonight."

"Having first date jitters?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, if your pale face is any indication," Shikamaru gently flicked Kaede's forehead who flinched and scowled a bit in reaction. "Did something happen?"

"N-No, everything is going fine. Perfectly fine." Kaede held up her hands in front of her face in a defensive manner.

Judging from the look on Shikamaru's face, he didn't look like he was very convinced.

_'Am I reading too much into this?'_

"Well, I probably shouldn't keep him waiting… so I should head back to my table."

Shikamaru debated asking Kaede again what happened, but eventually decided against it.

_'If she says nothing happened, that's most likely what happened. Nothing.'_

"Yeah, Temari doesn't exactly like to be kept waiting either."

Kaede quietly nodded and turned to leave for her table.

"By the way," Shikamaru suddenly spoke.

Kaede turned and looked over her shoulder. She watched as he pointed to the silver bracelet she wore around her wrist.

"That bracelet I gave you… nice to see you wearing it."

Kaede unconsciously brushed her fingers against the smooth surface of the bracelet. Her eyes stared at Shikamaru's back until the bathroom door closed behind him.

* * *

"There you are, you're just in time to order some dessert."

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting Sayu." Kaede sat back down in her seat and placed a hand over her face.

"It's alright," Sayu stared at Kaede with a hint of concern. "But I don't know if I can say the same thing about you."

"If you don't mind, I think I'll skip dessert for tonight. I'm not feeling so hot right now."

"Oh," Kaede only felt even guiltier when she noticed a tinge of disappointment flash in his eyes. "I can take you home if you need me to."

_'Yes, anywhere but here. Anywhere where… where he can't see us.'_

Shikamaru telling Kaede he was having dinner with Temari was one thing. Having dinner with her while Kaede was having dinner with Sayu in the same restaurant is definitely another._  
_

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, the servings are pretty big. I guess it wouldn't be a surprise if someone got a stomach ache from trying to finish it all in one sitting."

Sayu placed some money on the table for the meal and tip for the waiter and stood up from his seat. He held out a hand for Kaede to take which she took with a bit of reluctance before they headed out the restaurant together.

* * *

"Okay so our table is down that way." Shikamaru shut the bathroom door and scanned the restaurant for his table.

When his eyes moved over towards the entrance of the restaurant, he took notice of a familiar head of silver hair walking away hand in hand with another.

_'Wait, that's Kaede and… her date.'_

As they turned a corner, Kaede didn't seem to notice Shikamaru's stare as she was looking elsewhere, but her date certainly did.

Sayu's mouth curved into a small frown before he gently placed a hand on the small of her back and lead her out of the restaurant.

* * *

**Evafan24**: Well, this chapter turned out a LOT different than what I had originally planned. But I think it turned out pretty well, despite there not being a lot of dialogue during Kaede and Sayu's date. Anyway, thoughts, criticism? Until next time, thanks for reading & supporting!


	21. Chapter 21

"Hey Ino, do you know where my scrapbook is? I know I always kept it underneath my bed for safe keeping, but I can't seem to find it."

Ino poked her head inside Kaede's room, watching her outstretch a hand underneath her bed and pull out some boxes.

"Oh, that old scrapbook you used to put all your pictures in?" Ino tapped her chin. "How come you're looking for it?"

"I wanted to scrapbook the photos from my birthday party. Did you take it or something? I know you have a habit of borrowing or taking things without asking." Kaede deadpans.

"O-Oh yeah, now I remember. " Ino laughed a bit. "I was looking at it the other day and put it back on the shelf in your closet."

Kaede pushed herself up off the floor and dusts herself off. "You know, if you're gonna take things couldn't you at least put them back where they belong?"

"Okay, okay," Ino sighed, leaning against the door frame.

Kaede walked into her closet and reached up before grabbing a large black scrapbook with white embroidery around a picture of a younger Kaede. She walked out of her room and went downstairs to the dining room to put it on the table. After blowing off a bit of dust, she carefully opened it up and flipped through several pages. She suddenly stopped at one page in particular.

"Huh, why did you stop?" Ino walked over to Kaede to take a closer look at the page. "Oh I remember these pictures! These were taken during the Chūnin Exams!"

"Yeah," Kaede couldn't help but smile at the memory.

There were three pictures of Choji, Ino, Sakura and Kaede sitting together with hundreds of other people that had come to watch the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams in the Leaf Village. Choji was mostly eating his chips when the pictures were taken. Ino and Sakura were smiling and Kaede was making a silly face while holding a boxed lunch wrapped in a blue cloth.

"Even though Shikamaru forfeited the match in the end, he still ended up becoming a Chunin." Ino nodded thoughtfully before she nudged Kaede. "And you even went out of your way to make him a boxed lunch."

Kaede blushed and looked away embarrassed. "Do you really have to go and bring that up?"

"C'mon Kaede, there's nothing wrong with that." Ino laughed. "I wish I had thought of doing that for Sasuke. I thought it was a really cute gesture… even though you insisted and told Shikamaru that his Mom made it for him."

"But he probably would've been freaked out if I told him I made it," Kaede retorted with a soft sigh.

"I dunno about that. Still… I would've liked to see his reaction if you told him who really made it." Ino thought back to the day of Shikamaru's final match in the Chūnin Exams.

* * *

"_C'mon Shikamaru, take that bitch down!"_

"_You're certainly fired up today Ino, aren't you?" Sakura giggled._

"_Hey, got anymore room over there?" A male voice asked._

"_Huh, Choji," Ino blinked in surprise at her teammate. "I thought you were at the hospital because of your stomachache. Are you feeling any better?"_

"_Yup," Choji opened up a bag of chips and shoved a few in his mouth. "And I even brought someone to tag along with me."_

_Kaede smiled, popping out from behind Choji. "Hey you guys,"_

"_So what kept you Kaede?" Ino allowed Choji and Kaede to sit down. "I thought we were going to come to the arena together."_

"_Oh, I had to get my camera and get the boxed lunch that I—I mean Shikamaru's Mom made for him." Kaede quickly covered up and blushed._

"_So, you made a lunch for Shikamaru?" Ino grinned in a sly manner. "Trying to get to his heart through his stomach? How sweet…"_

"_I-I told you, his Mom made this." Kaede quickly shook her head. "I didn't have anything to do with it. It was just a slip of the tongue."_

"_Sure, sure, whatever you say Kaede." Ino smiled._

"_Speaking of Shikamaru, wasn't Sasuke's match supposed to be before Shikamaru's match?" Choji pointed out._

"_Choji, shhh!" Ino shushed, turning to look at Sakura._

_Kaede and Ino sweat-dropped, suddenly feeling a depressing aura radiate off Sakura's body._

'_I guess Sasuke is still a sore subject right now.' Kaede gently placed her boxed lunch on her lap while Ino reassured and comforted Sakura._

"_By the way, what did you bring Shikamaru?" Choji question while he munched on a few more chips._

"_Oh um," Kaede carefully opened up the boxed lunch and removed the top. "His Mom told me that his favorite food was mackerel so I brought some deep-fried mackerel. I thought it could be something I could give to him to congratulate him if he won or give it to him to make him feel better if he didn't. Either way, I'm sure he'll be happy with it. The meal turned out really well, I think anyway."_

"_Whoa," Choji drooled at the sight of the fried fish. "If your meals look this good, I'll have to put in a special meal request for you to make me Kaede."_

"_But I didn't make… oh never mind." Kaede sighed in defeat and closed up the food. "Just promise you guys won't tell him okay? I don't want him getting the wrong idea or anything. I just made it because I thought it'd be something that would be a good idea to give if he won or lost the match."_

'_But, even though Shikamaru isn't the most motivated shinobi," Kaede looked down below at Shikamaru and smiled. 'I still have faith in him and believe that he has the strength to win.' _

"_YOU HEAR THAT SHIKAMARU, YOU'RE WORKING TOWARDS A BOXED LUNCH WITH YOUR NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!" Ino shouted with a fiery grin._

"_INO!"_

* * *

"I suppose I could've told him, but some things are better left unsaid." Kaede shrugged the matter off.

"But-"Ino was cut off by the sound of the doorbell.

"Could you get that, I'm a little occupied right now." Kaede turned a few more pages in her scrap book and began to add in a few more photos.

"Fine," Ino sighed in slight irritation and headed for the door.

She unlocked the door and opened it, blinking twice in surprise. "Oh, Shikamaru, what brings you here?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm looking at you like what?" Ino smiled sheepishly.

'_It's weird, we were just talking about Shikamaru and here he is…'_ Ino's mind briefly switched back to her conversation with Kaede about Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "Never mind, I stopped by because I wanted to ask Kaede something. Is she here?"

'_I wonder what he wants to ask her.'_ Ino mentally debated what could it be.

"Oh yeah, she's in the dining room." Ino pointed a thumb towards the dining room and opened up the door more to let Shikamaru step inside.

"Alright, thanks." Shikamaru stepped inside the house.

"Ino, could you bring me some wet paper towels?" Kaede shouted from the dining room. "I uh… sort of spilled some glue on the table."

"Geez Kaede, hold on I'll bring you some." Ino turned to Shikamaru. "Well, you already know where she is. I gotta grab some paper towels."

Shikamaru nodded and walked into the dining room, watching Kaede frantically try to wipe off any glue off the table with her hands.

"You know Ino said she'd get you some paper towels right?" Shikamaru stifled a laugh while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I…" Kaede froze and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at Shikamaru. Glue began dripping from her fingers.

"S-Shikamaru, I didn't know it was you for a second there." Kaede awkwardly lifting a hand in greeting and accidentally flicks some glue at Shikamaru's forehead.

Shikamaru frowned a bit and wiped the glue off his forehead. "Well it's me,"

Kaede smiled in a slightly apologetic manner. "Right, sorry. So uh, what did you need?"

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well basically, my Mom was going on about how much she wanted you to stop by again to see how you were doing. It's a bit of a drag, but she insisted that I'd try and convince you to maybe have a meal with us like you used to. I told her that you probably had your hands full with work, but she wouldn't exactly hear me out. Hence the reason why I'm here."

"So… she wanted me to come by and have a meal with you guys?" Kaede stared at Shikamaru a bit surprised. "What did your Dad say about it?"

Shikamaru sighed a bit. "My Dad didn't want to provoke her by trying to talk her out of it and he said he didn't mind if you dropped by either. So naturally he's siding with her. You know how he gets when he's around her, he's totally whipped."

"I see..." Kaede grew silent.

'_It's been ages since I've gone to Shikamaru's house to have dinner with his family. Last time I went for a dinner was during my medical training sessions as a genin with Shizune-sensei. I figured that with Temari being in the picture now, that she would be the one invited over for dinners. Maybe they're not at the stage where she can be invited yet...?'_

"Well, I'll still be working tomorrow but…" Kaede trailed off. "I think I might be able to come by tomorrow evening if that's okay."

'_Wait, what am I saying? I know I used to have dinners with Shikamaru and his family, but things have changed a lot since then.'_ Kaede mentally slapped her forehead. _'This is crazy, Kaede, YOU'RE officially crazy.'_

"Are you sure? If you're too busy I could always just tell them that you're-"

"N-No, I don't wanna blow them off." Kaede quickly shook her head. "Besides, it's been a while since I've stopped by and I wouldn't mind dropping by for a nice meal for old time sake."

"Alright, I'll let them know. Just don't be surprised if my Dad starts bringing up all kinds of stuff from the past." Shikamaru shook his head at the thought.

"Right, I'll uh, keep that in mind." Kaede laughed nervously.

"Sorry I took so long, it took a while for me to find the paper towels." Ino came down the stairs, holding some wet paper towels before handing them out to Kaede.

"Oh, thanks." Kaede took some paper towels and wiped the glue off her hands and used the rest to wipe off the table.

"I meant to ask you about that," Shikamaru looked down at the glue bottle next to Kaede. "What's with all the glue?"

"Kaede here was going to put the photos from her birthday party into her scrapbook." Ino handed Shikamaru the black scrapbook. "Here, have a look."

"Wait a second, Ino don't just take-"Kaede reached out to take the scrapbook, but Shikamaru had already gotten a hold of it.

"Oh yeah, I remember this. I didn't know you took pictures during the Chūnin Exams." Shikamaru looked at the photos.

"Well, I figured I'd get some good pictures out of it." Kaede smiled nervously.

"That reminds me," Shikamaru pointed down to the picture of Kaede holding the bento box. "I never thanked you for that lunch you made for me."

Kaede and Ino stared at each other surprised before looking back at Shikamaru.

"B-But I never made you that lunch," Kaede denied with a quick shake of her head.

"My Mom said that you were the one that made it for me." Shikamaru shook his head. "She said she didn't feel right to take credit for what you did. So, thanks…"

"Oh, it was…" Kaede suddenly began to blush out of embarrassment. "I-It was no big deal, really. I figured since I wasn't a part of your squad, that would be my way of showing my support and contribution as a friend."

"Well I'll buy you a boxed lunch or something in return some time." Shikamaru smiled a bit. "Anyway, I gotta go, I'm still on the clock so if I stay here any longer I'll wind up getting my head chewed off by the Hokage."

After Shikamaru returned the scrapbook, he left the Yamanaka Household with a quick wave of his hand.

* * *

**Evafan24:** So, it looks like Kaede has a dinner date with Shikamaru… & his family. I'm sure she'll have plenty to talk about with them… perhaps even something about Sayu? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for the next chapter! ^-^


	22. Chapter 22

With Kaede's invitation to eat at the Nara household with Shikamaru and his parents, she couldn't keep her mind off of it. The event wasn't for another several hours, but she was already beginning to feel her nerves get the better of her. And with her work day being slower than normal, it was hard for her to keep her mind completely focused on something else. She might have appeared calm and collected on the outside, but she was feeling anxious and nervous on the inside.

'_What should I wear?'_ Kaede began to chew on her nails. _'Why am I even worried about what I should wear? It's just dinner. And it's not like I've never been over to Shikamaru's house to eat dinner before, but it's been a little over a year since I have. Last time I sort of invited myself over. '_

The last dinner Kaede had with the Nara family was interesting to say the least. It was one of the moments she wished she had gotten on camera. Although she didn't have any pictures of it in her scrapbook, she remembered that day quite vividly, almost as if it were yesterday.

**…**

"_Hey, I'm home." Shikamaru's voice echoed as he entered the house._

"_Hey, welcome home Shikamaru!" A female voice exclaimed from the kitchen._

_Shikamaru removed his shoes at the front door and quirked a brow in suspicion. The voice he heard wasn't his mother's. As Shikamaru made a beeline for the kitchen, he froze at what he saw. He saw a familiar head of silver hair standing in front of the kitchen sink washing some mushrooms. Unperturbed by the presence that had walked in, the girl washing the mushrooms held up a hand in greeting without turning to look behind her._

"_Kaede, what are you doing here?" Shikamaru questioned._

_Kaede turned the water off and dried her hands with her apron, curtsying with the hem of her apron._

"_I'm fixing some dinner for my hubby." Kaede gave a cheeky smile. "So go ahead and take a load off."_

"_Do you even realize what you're saying?" Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "We're not married."_

_Shikamaru was much too exhausted to deal with Kaede's antics, let alone stand without leaning against the wall for support. Ever since he had been promoted to Chunin, which was not even a week ago, Asuma had encouraged Shikamaru to take his new promotion more seriously. His promotion only led to more soreness and more missions, much to his disdain._

"_Geez," Kaede gave an indignant expression. "You can be such a kill-joy sometimes you know that? I'm only joking."_

"_That still doesn't answer my question." Shikamaru returned the look._

"_Well, I was gonna be smart and ask which question, but I can see you're not in a laughing mood." Kaede leaned against the kitchen sink and folded her arms across her chest. "Anyway, I ran into your mom while I was leaving my training session at the hospital today. She needed some help carrying some groceries home and I offered to help. She said I could stay for dinner as thanks, but I insisted that I should help cook if I'm going to eat here. And then I thought now_ _is as good_ _a_ _time_ _as_ _any to learn how to cook something new."_

"_Not that I don't appreciate you helping out my mom and all, but you think you could let a guy know when you're coming over next time?"_

"_Shikamaru, don't be rude." A new voice intervened._

"_It's okay, he's right." Kaede admitted and shook her head. "I should have tried to let him know ahead of time that I was coming over."_

_Shikamaru turned around to see his mother standing behind her with a not-so-pleasant look on her face._

"_Honestly, what am I going to do with you Shikamaru?" Yoshino sighed in irritation. "Have I taught you nothing about manners? At least show some gratitude to a friend that's willing to help around the house. Something you ought to be doing more often…"_

"_That's alright. I don't really mind."_

"_No, it's not fine." Yoshino shook her head. "In fact, Shikamaru, why don't you give Kaede a hand washing those mushrooms? I need to stop by the store and pick up a few more ingredients before your father gets home."_

_Leaving no room for argument, Yoshino grabbed her purse off the kitchen table and began to head for the door. She closed the door behind her, leaving Shikamaru and Kaede alone in the kitchen. Kaede smiled sheepishly and held up some packaged beef._

"_So you're okay with beef with our meal tonight, right Shikamaru? Yes or yes?"_

…

'_I wonder what we'll be having for dinner tonight.' Kaede sighed softly and turned around in her swivel chair at her desk._

Before she could linger on the thought, a knock on her office door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in!" Kaede shouted.

The door slowly opened before a head of black hair poked out from behind the door, revealing the receptionist that worked at the front desk. "A visitor stopped by the front desk and asked me to give you something."

"What did they want to give me?" Kaede turned around in her swivel chair to face the female receptionist.

"Here, it's a note." The receptionist handed Kaede the note.

"Oh, thanks." Kaede waved the receptionist goodbye before shutting the door to her office to read her note.

_I didn't want to bother you while you were working. I just wanted to give you a heads up that my Mom wanted me to tell you to come by the house around seven. - Shikamaru_

"Well, guess there's only six hours to go and counting." Kaede folded the note back up and tucked it away.

**...**

"Hey, I'm home from work." Shikaku spoke as he removed his shoes at the door.

"Welcome home," Yoshino approached her husband and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. When her nose was greeted with the faint smell of alcohol, she slowly pulled away, rubbing her thumb across Shikaku's lower lip. "Have you been out drinking again with Inoichi and Chōza?"

It was obvious from the redness in his cheeks that Shikaku had had at least drink or two.

"Just a bit," Shikaku admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "Don't worry; I still know how to hold my liquor."

Shikaku's attempt to pacify his wife doesn't seem to work. If anything, she was even more irritated.

"You know how I feel about you drinking before dinner. And we're supposed to be having Kaede over for dinner tonight." Yoshino sighed and shook her head.

"Oh, was that tonight?" Shikaku rubbed his chin in thought. "I could've sworn that wasn't supposed to be until the day after tomorrow."

"It's tonight, Shikaku. Can you just promise me you won't get too out of hand at the dinner table tonight?"

"Everything will be fine. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Hey, Dad," Shikamaru walked into the main hallway of the house, leaning against the wall. "Kaede is supposed to be here soon."

"He's well aware Shikamaru," Yoshino put her hands on her hips. "Did you set up the table for me like I asked? Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes."

"I was just about to."

"Then please stop your dilly-dallying and set up the table for me!"

"Alright, alright…"

_'Man, I hate it when she gets like this.'_ Shikamaru held back the urge to snort under his breath as he walked away to set up the silverware and plates on the table. _'Why does she insist on being extra bossy and crabby whenever we're having company over?'_

Before Shikamaru could continue his mental complaints, the doorbell rang.

"That must be Kaede. Shikaku, could you go upstairs and wash up for dinner? I'll get the door."

_'And so it begins…'_ Shikamaru sighed under his breath. _'What a drag…'_

**…**

"It's nice to have you over for dinner again Kaede, how have you been?" Yoshino smiled at Kaede from across the dinner table.

Yoshino and Shikaku sat next to each other while Shikamaru and Kaede sat together across from them.

"I've been doing alright." Kaede shrugged her shoulders. "It's been a while since I've gotten a chance to do this. So, thank you for having me."

"You're welcome anytime Kaede." Yoshino gestured a hand to the steaming sukiyaki on the table. "Help yourself to some beef sukiyaki."

Kaede nodded before she began to serve herself a bowl, putting in a few extra slices of beef.

"Hey, be sure to save me some meat, will ya?" Shikamaru reached out with his chopsticks to grab a piece of beef, but it was quickly slapped away by a wooden spoon, courtesy of Yoshino.

"There's plenty to go around Shikamaru." Yoshino reassured. "Just be patient and wait until Kaede has helped herself first."

Shikamaru resisted the urge to complain or argue, knowing full well that doing so would only make her nag him even more and cause him more grief.

"So, has anything new and interesting happened lately?" Yoshino asked.

"Well, work is still keeping me busy. So my work hasn't changed much."

"Well from what I hear, that's not the only thing that's changed. You've apparently changed your mind about dating?" Yoshino chuckled. "At least, that's what Shikamaru has been saying."

Kaede felt all the color drain from her face. She didn't know which was more mortifying, talking about dating with Shikamaru or with his parents. A part of her knew that Sayu would eventually come up in conversation, but another part of her just wished she could keep the information to herself. "S-Shikamaru, what did you tell them?"

"All I said was that you were going out with a guy named Sayu. I didn't say anything else about it because it's not exactly my business to tell them. So you don't have to freak out."

"I'm not freaking out… we're just hanging out and getting to know each other. And there's nothing official between us, so it's nothing to really make a big deal of."

The image of Sayu putting a hand on Kaede's back as they walked out of the Shushuya together flashed through Shikamaru's mind.

_'If it wasn't a big deal, you wouldn't have reacted like that.'_ It bothered Shikamaru. Kaede insisted she and Sayu weren't an official item, but their body language at the restaurant seemed to say the complete opposite. And despite being friends for years, Shikamaru still felt he didn't understand Kaede… or women for that matter. _'Man, I don't think I'll ever understand women.'_

Shikamaru didn't exactly want to understand the opposite sex since he still found the majority of them to be troublesome or bossy, but he knew if he were to continue dating a woman like Temari, he'd definitely have to put forth some effort.

"If you don't feel like discussing it, that's perfectly alright." Shikaku shook his head. "It's not anybody's business but your own to discuss what goes on in your love life."

_'Well I'm glad his parents aren't asking details about it like Ino was. But it probably would be stupid at this point to try and keep it to myself.'_

"That's ok, it's already out there so I might as well." Kaede sighed. "Sayu is… he's a really nice guy, makes me smile and from what I remember him telling me, he's pretty driven about his current goals."

"Ooh, is that so? Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from this young man Shikamaru." Yoshino chuckled.

_'Yeah, right…'_ Shikamaru held back the urge to roll his eyes.

"He said he's recently taken it upon himself to train with Lee-san and Gai-sensei."

Shikamaru looked up from his own meal to stare at Kaede as if she had spoken another language. "You're kidding… training with those two?"

He couldn't help but wonder as crazy intense as their training regimes were, was Sayu suicidal or was he just crazy?

"He said he was looking for someone he could train under like a protégée and they were the only takers at the time. He didn't go into a lot of detail about what kind of training he's going through, but I'm sure they've got him working pretty hard."

_'I wouldn't be surprised if I found the poor bastard laying out on the Training Grounds covered in bruises.'_ Shikamaru could barely imagine Sayu, let alone himself agreeing to train with the two training fanatics.

"Sayu sounds like he's quite the young man. And I hope you don't mind me saying this Kaede, but to tell you the truth I was a little surprised when Shikamaru told us." Shikaku nodded thoughtfully as he ate another piece of beef. "As close as you and Shikamaru were in the past, I always assumed the two of you would someday end up together."

"Dad, do you even realize what you're saying right now?" Even though Shikaku insisted he didn't have much to drink, Shikamaru didn't know whether or not to believe that that was the alcohol talking.

"…That's not entirely false Shikaku-san." Kaede whispered.

Shikamaru felt his eyes widen a fraction before he slowly turned to look at Kaede.

"To be honest, for a short time, I humored the thought of it when I was younger. And back in the academy days, I started to believe the stuff I heard from my peers about Shikamaru and I becoming more than friends and that it would someday happen. But Shikamaru was and still is just one of my closest friends and I'm happy with the way things are now."

_'Who am I trying to fool? It's been at least a month since Temari and Shikamaru got together and still, nothing has changed. I still can't be completely honest with myself and I'm still lying to the people I care about…'_

"K-Kaede…" Shikamaru didn't know what else to say, let alone what to think or do about what he had just heard.

"But anyway," Kaede held out her empty bowl. "Do you mind if I have another helping of your sukiyaki?"

As the conversation between Kaede and Yoshino continued, Shikamaru simply sat there feeling completely awestruck by Kaede's words.

**…**

"Thanks for dinner Yoshino! It was delicious!"

"You're welcome, be sure to come back soon!"

Yoshino waved Kaede off with a hand as she began to walk away from the Nara household. Shikaku looked down at his son and nudged him in the arm with his elbow.

"Why don't you go and escort Kaede home? It's not safe to let a young woman walk outside at this time of night." Shikaku insisted.

"Yeah, I know," Shikamaru grabbed his shoes and slipped them on before he headed out the door, but not before nearly tripping over his feet.

_'Good grief, I can't even walk straight, let alone think straight.' Shikamaru_ quickened his pace. "Kaede, wait up!"

Kaede didn't bother turning around to look behind her, but she stopped and allowed Shikamaru to catch up with her. Shikamaru let out a tired sigh once he was standing beside her.

"Well, you're certainly not in a rush to get home."

"Thanks for walking with me…"

"Eh, it's… no big deal."

Shikamaru and Kaede continued to walk side-by-side, walking the familiar pathway that led to the Yamanaka household. Despite the peaceful chirping of the crickets and the stars twinkling above their heads, the atmosphere felt anything but peaceful. And Kaede wasn't the only one to feel that way.

"Hey, uh…" Shikamaru felt like he had to choose his words carefully.

"Yeah?" Kaede cautiously turned her head to look at Shikamaru.

"About what you said… y'know, earlier at dinner."

"…What about what I said?"

"How come this stuff never came up until now?"

"It doesn't really matter now though, does it? I'm happy with the way things are now."

Even though Kaede claimed it was all in the past, it had never really occurred to Shikamaru that she would see their relationship any differently than he did. When he thought about the past and now, he never thought of Kaede as more than just his best friend. He felt that his relationship with her was no different from the one he had with Choji. They were friends and that was all there was to it. But now that he was hearing words about their relationship that Kaede had never spoken about, it was bringing up all kinds of unanswered questions. It was like a pill that was too big for him to swallow.

"You're not answering my question though Kaede." Shikamaru frowned.

"I don't remember okay?" Kaede quickened her pace. "It's ancient history and I'm fine with the way-"

Shikamaru reached out and grabbed a hold of Kaede's wrist to keep her from walking any further.

"You just said fine, happy and fine doesn't mean the same thing."

"Fine, I'm both happy and fine with it. Why are you reading so much into this?"

"Why are you making this so difficult?"

"You want to know why Shikamaru? I didn't say anything about it back then because I didn't want to risk losing what I had with you!" Kaede suddenly shouted. "I remembered how much it bothered you when people teased or gossiped about us just because we hung out together. And I knew that if I had brought up stuff like that, everything would've changed."

Shikamaru stared at Kaede suddenly too awestruck to respond. He slowly let her words to sink in until his grip gradually loosened on her wrist. Kaede took her chance to slowly pull her wrist from Shikamaru's hand and took a step forward.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. But please, just… leave it alone okay? I've put that stuff behind me… and I'd prefer that it stays that way." Kaede clenched and unclenched her fists that hung limply at her sides. It took all of her will power not to break down right in front of Shikamaru. "I can walk myself the rest of the way back home. Tell your mom thanks again for inviting me over."

As Kaede began to walk away, Shikamaru continued to stand and watch Kaede until he could no longer see her. And once she was far enough, she allowed herself to let out every tear she had been holding back.

* * *

**Eva**: Wow, even I can't believe how this chapter turned out. I hope the long length makes up for the lack of updating this. I feel like this chapter was a bit of a stepping stone for Kaede because she's admitted something she had been hiding from Shikamaru. Although she wasn't telling the entire truth, everybody's gotta start somewhere, right? Until then, look forward to the next update! ^-^


	23. Chapter 23

**Evafan24**: Firstly, I just want to thank you all for being patient with my updating. I didn't think I'd take this long, but I'm glad I finally managed to get this out. I've been slowly working on it bit by bit and edited/added it multiple times until I felt ready to submit. Your reviews & feedback are what keep me going & motivated to finish these chapter. So yeah, thanks everyone! XD

* * *

_"Hey, did you hear? Shikamaru is going out with Kaede!"_

_"What, there's just no way."_

_"It's true, Aki told me who heard from Miki who heard from Ino saying that she saw the two of them holding hands!"_

_"Kaede and Shikamaru, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

_"Ohmigod, Kaede-chan, why didn't you tell me you were going out with Shikamaru?"_

Throughout the night, Shikamaru tossed and turned in his bed as he mulled over his last conversation with Kaede. With Kaede's sudden outburst clouding his mind, the old rumors he once heard in the past resurfaced to his subconscious, keeping him from getting a restful sleep. Although it was mostly due to what Kaede had said to him.

_"I didn't want to risk losing what I had with you!"_

And risk losing what she had with him? If Shikamaru didn't know any better, the way she sounded… it was almost as if she was in lo—

_'That can't be right.'_ Shikamaru eyes snapped open and he quickly shook his head. _'Last night she said she used to believe those stupid rumors for a short time and humored the thought, that's not the same thing. Besides, even if she did have feelings for me, why would she be dating someone else? She seemed to look pretty cozy with Sayu.'_

"Wait…" Shikamaru suddenly bolted upright from his bed, startled by his own snide thought. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Knowing he would get no response, he gave a frustrated sigh before turning his eyes towards the clock resting on his dresser. It was three in the morning and he was still up.

_ 'Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight.'_ Shikamaru let himself fall back until his head met with his pillow, glaring up at the ceiling. _'What the hell is happening? I'm probably about two minutes away from completely losing my mind.'_

More importantly, he began to wonder as he pulled his bed sheets over his head, what was he supposed to do? He was mulling over how Kaede apparently used to think they'd end up together one day, but he was with Temari. He thought he was content with the way things were, but now… now he wasn't so sure how he felt. One thing he was sure of, pretending he never had the conversation with Kaede in the first place just wasn't an option for him. It was already out in the open and he knew it wasn't gonna go away even if he listened to Kaede and tried to forget about what she said. Not when it was keeping him from getting any sleep.

_'Sorry Kaede, it's a drag, but I don't think I can leave this alone just yet…'_

…

Temari stood in front of the entrance of the Hokage Residence, her teal eyes looking over the semi-empty streets of Konohagakure in search for a familiar ponytailed wearing chūnin.

_'Where is he?'_ Temari let out an irritated sigh. _'I told him to meet me here no later than nine to meet up with the other proctors for the Chūnin Exams.'_

"Hey," A familiar male voice pulled Temari from her thoughts.

"What took you Shikamaru?" Temari shot Shikamaru with an irritated look.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head and pushed back any incoming thoughts from last night.

"I'll say," Temari stared at his dark under eye circles. "You look like hell."

"Gee, thanks." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Anytime," Temari chuckled. "With a little caffeine in your system, I'm sure you'll make it through the day. We can stop by and get something to drink after the briefing, this time I'll treat."

"Sure, I guess that's fine."

It was lucky for Shikamaru that Temari didn't ask why he couldn't sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was tell his girlfriend that he was mentally tormented last night by past rumors and thoughts of his best friend. Some things in life are better left unsaid and Shikamaru felt that this was one of those times. At least until he figured things out. Hence the reason why he didn't think it would make sense to complicating things by telling Temari about it now. Frankly, Shikamaru thought the situation was complicated enough.

"Anyway, since we're almost done with preparations for the upcoming Chūnin Exams," Temari turned to the Hokage Residence building. "There isn't much left that we need to do. So I'm gonna need you to hang in there for a little longer, alright?"

"Yeah, I know." Shikamaru sighed under his breath.

"And look on the bright side. At least you've got something to look forward to after the Chūnin Exams are completed. There's that festival that comes right after."

Shikamaru wasn't the kind of person to get excited or anxious over something like a festival, but it was as good as any excuse to keep his mind occupied and help push back last night's events to the back of his mind. Temporarily speaking…

"Guess you're right."

…

While Shikamaru stayed busy with matters regarding the upcoming Chūnin Exams, Kaede had her hands full with her own work at the hospital. After five different appointments with patients that either needed to get a check up, injuries healed or an ailment, there wasn't much time for Kaede to reflect on what happened last night with Shikamaru. It wasn't until Ino came into Kaede's office that she had time to.

"Hey, I've brought some sweet dango and mochi. So don't say you're not hungry because I refuse to eat these sweets by myself!" Ino announced as she walked through Kaede's office.

"Ino, I thought you were working at the Flower Shop today?" Kaede turned around in her chair at her desk.

"Oh don't worry about that. My mom is taking over for the time being." Ino reassured. "Lady Shizune requested that I lend a hand here since it's expected for the hospital to need extra help for the Chūnin Exams. Sakura was initially going to come along and help, but she was called to fill in for a last minute mission. She should be back before things get too busy around here."

"But the exams don't start until next week."

"Lady Shizune insisted that it's better to be over prepared than not be prepared enough for what might come up before or during the exams. And I can't exactly go against her request."

"Yeah, that's true."

Ino pulled out two stick of dango from a plastic container and held one out for Kaede to take.

"Thanks," Kaede took her dango and bit off a piece.

"You're welcome," Ino smiled and tore off a piece of her dango. "I know eating sweets isn't my idea of a healthy lunch, but I figured you might need something sweet. You came home last night looking like someone had just told you your dog died."

When Kaede had been invited to eat with Shikamaru and his parents, she decided against telling Ino. She wanted to save herself the trouble of getting into a long and awkward conversation about it. So instead, Kaede simply told Ino she would just be grabbing a bite to eat after she finished work. But somehow, even after she had decided not to tell Ino, venting about it sounded pretty good right now.

"Hey Ino, you know what's ironic?"

"What is?"

"That people want to fall in love and find that special someone to spend the rest of their lives with. But when a person falls, all they do is wind up getting hurt."

"Kaede…" Ino stared at Kaede wide-eyed.

"That's sort of why I looked upset last night. You see, the other day when Shikamaru came over, he had come to invite me to have dinner with his parents for old time's sake." Kaede began. "But in the middle of dinner, I sort of confessed that I—"

"Wait. Wait. WAIT." Ino held up a hand to stop Kaede from speaking. "Hold on a minute Kaede. You're telling me that you finally CONFESSED? What did you say? What did Shikamaru say? Did you-"

"Did you know that you have a tendency to talk over me?"

"Sorry, continue."

Kaede gave Ino a pointed look before she resumed speaking.

"Well, like I was saying before, in the middle of dinner I sort of admitted that I used to think… what if? Like what if Shikamaru and I had become a couple and the rumors about us dating back in the academy came true?"

Ino stayed quiet for a minute, thinking over what Kaede had just told her. "So you didn't tell him how you felt then?"

"Well, sort of. Truth be told, I never even wanted to hint how I really felt, but… I just couldn't help it! I felt like I would have exploded right then and there if I tried to keep it all in anymore." Kaede stared down at the bracelet Shikamaru gave her. "So I told him that even though I used to think we might end up together someday, that I'm happy with the way things are right now. But if I had to be honest with myself, I'm not happy with how things are turning out right now. Trying to move on by dating other people obviously isn't working for me."

"So, what are you going to tell Sayu then?" Ino gave Kaede an expectant look.

"I don't know Ino. And I know you said that I should try to 'explore my options'." Kaede air quoted. "But I don't think what I'm doing now is the best way to go about all this. And I don't think it's fair to Sayu either, I feel like I'm stringing him along."

"Well, I may not know what decision is best for you Kaede. But I do know that if being honest with yourself is one of your problems; that's something you'll probably need to tackle in order to figure out what you want to decide in the end. I mean, how can you be honest with Shikamaru or Sayu if you can't even be honest with yourself and your feelings?"

"Wow, that's very profound Ino."

Ino smiled proudly. "What can I say, when it comes to matters of the heart, I'm no amateur. But I gotta say Kaede; you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I've got my work cut out for me."

"Well, luckily, you've still got time to think things over. In the mean time, why don't we eat this food before it gets cold?"

Kaede gave a small smile and nodded her head. But before Kaede or Ino could take another bite, an anxious nurse barged through the room.

"Sorry to interrupt your lunch ladies, but we need some assistance up at the front desk." The woman spoke hurriedly. "There's a patient out in the main lobby that needs tending to."

Ino and Kaede exchange a look before they quickly put down their food and made their way into the lobby.

"Sir, please calm down! I assure you your friend is going to be okay, if you could just wait I'll-"

"I am sorry, but I cannot wait much longer! Not when my friend needs medical attention."

_'Wait… that voice. Who else speaks like that?'_ It wasn't until Kaede and Ino reached the main lobby that her thoughts were confirmed. Lee had come to the hospital, and he was carrying an exhausted and flustered looking Sayu on his back.

* * *

**Evafan24**: Alright, well this chapter was a little shorter than the last one, but I figured this was a good stopping place. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you all look forward to the next one. ^-^


	24. Chapter 24

**Evafan24**: After a four month long hiatus, I managed to get my ass in gear and add chapter 24. *sighs* I apologize to keep you all waiting for this update, but I hope you all enjoy it and look forward to the next one. Thanks again for all the support and feedback!

* * *

'_You certainly are a reckless one Sayu. I didn't expect to see you back in Hospital again so soon.'_ Kaede gave an exasperated sigh.

After Lee came into the Hospital holding an exhausted looking Sayu, he was told that he would be admitted to the Hospital. Kaede discovered that whatever Lee had done to Sayu was enough to injure a couple of his ribs. It was lucky for him that Lee hadn't done any other damage aside from a few bruises here and there.

"You are one lucky guy Sayu." Kaede stared across the room where Sayu was sound asleep in his hospital bed. "It'll take a while longer for you to heal than last time you were injured, but I think you'll bounce back if you just let your body rest."

Kaede knew Sayu couldn't hear a word she was saying, but she felt that it was better than just listening to the beeping of the heart monitor; even if it was her own voice.

"K-Kaede…" a weak voice croaked out.

Kaede's eyes quickly shifted onto Sayu's face as he slowly moved an arm over his eyes to shield them from the light coming through his window. He slowly drew his arm away as he slowly pushed himself to an upright position on his bed. However the throbbing pain he felt in his ribs quickly made him lay back down.

"Hey, don't push yourself Sayu." Kaede quickly rushed over to Sayu's bed. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him from sitting up. "We've managed to heal your fractured ribs, but you're still going to feel a little sore. So try not to move around too much."

"Dammit, no wonder it was getting harder for me to breathe." Sayu pinched the bridge of his nose, a weak sigh passing his lips. "You must think I'm pretty weak huh; to end up in the hospital twice."

"Not weak exactly," Kaede smiled a little. "I would say reckless maybe, but definitely not weak. Even so, I'm glad to see that you're awake."

"Hey, how long have I been out anyway?" Sayu ran a hand through his hair.

"You've been out for about a day and a half, give or take. You had us worried when Lee came in holding you in the condition you were in."

"Oh yeah," Sayu's mind flashed back to what had happened before he passed out. Images of Lee sparring with him flashed through his mind. He vaguely remembered offering Lee a bottle of water when they decided to take a break. "The last thing I remember was giving Lee some water to drink during our break. Then he went bat shit crazy on me and… well you can probably figure out the rest."

It suddenly dawned on Kaede why Lee had attacked Sayu the way he did.

"Sayu, are you sure what you gave Lee was water?" Kaede frowned.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Sayu closed his eyes with a thoughtful look. "I brought along some water for myself too. But the water I had didn't taste anything like water. From what I remembered, it tasted sort of like sake."

"Yeah, I thought so. That's why Lee attacked you like that."

"What do you mean? He attacked me because he had sake?"

Kaede nodded. "When Lee has sake in his system and gets drunk, he goes into a frenzy called the Drunken Fist style. The more sake he drinks, the drunker he gets and the stronger he becomes. Unfortunately, Lee can't tell who's a friend or foe when he's in this stage. The effect sake has on his body is only temporary, but it looks like he was affected by it long enough to do quite a bit of damage to your body."

Sayu let out a weak laugh, cringing a bit when he felt the soreness in his ribs return. "So that's what happened. I'll definitely remember that next time."

Kaede folded her arms over her chest. "I think the bigger question is how did you wind up giving Lee sake instead of water?"

"Well, the water I gave Lee I brought from home." Sayu went quiet for a moment. "I had some sake in my fridge too, but I didn't exactly have the bottles labeled so I guess that's where I made my mistake."

"So, you were both reckless AND careless." Kaede shot Sayu a deadpanned expression. "That's quite a dangerous combination Sayu."

"Yeah, I know." Sayu smiled sheepishly. "Even so, I'm glad I've got you to help fix me up when my reckless and careless attitude puts me in the Hospital."

"Oh, it's no big deal." Kaede smiled meekly and dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "It's my job, remember? Just try not to make a habit of it."

"Seriously, Kaede," Sayu slowly reached out and gently grabbed Kaede's hand. "I really am grateful."

Kaede felt the blood slowly rush to her face as she stared down at their hands. His hand felt slightly calloused, but there was warmth to it.

'_Crap, this is bad.'_ Kaede gently bit down on her lip. _'If I don't say something now…'_

"SAYU!" The sudden shout of his name being called from behind the door startled the two, allowing Kaede to pull her hand free; to Sayu's displeasure. The door to his hospital room was pushed open, revealing Lee looking completely aghast.

"Lee, are you trying to give us a heart attack?" Kaede put a hand over her chest for emphasis and glared at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I guess I should have knocked first." Lee bowed a few times in apology. "I wanted to see how Sayu was doing before visiting hours ended. After all, it is my fault that he's in here."

Sayu slowly shook his head, looking over in Lee's direction. "You don't have to take the blame Lee. After all, I was the one who gave you that sake. I should have double checked it before giving it to you."

"Please, do not take the blame for what I did to you Sayu." Lee shook his head. "I promise I'll make it up to you somehow. For every injury that I have given you, I will do one three hundred push-ups. If I cannot do three hundred push-ups, I will do five-hundred kicks for each injury. If I cannot—"

"Um, I think he gets it Lee." Kaede interrupted with a small laugh.

"Ah, yes, of course." Lee laughed a little, rubbing the back of his head.

"Anyway, I need to get back to work." Kaede made a beeline for the door before she turned to look at Sayu. "I'll be coming back to check in on you. Okay, Sayu?"

"Oh… okay." Sayu reluctantly nodded, feeling slightly disappointed.

After waving off Lee and Sayu, Kaede closed the door behind her. Relief washed over her as she sighed, leaning against the door. Kaede turned to leave until she heard Lee's voice utter something strange.

"I'm really sorry, Yasu. I hope you aren't in too much pain."

"Lee, you're supposed to keep calling me Sayu, remember?"

"R-Right, I suppose I shouldn't say your real name so carelessly like that here."

'_Sayu's real name…?'_ Kaede's eyes widen. _'His real name is Yasu? Why would he lie about something like that?'_

Curiosity getting the better of her, Kaede stood behind the door in silence and waited for them to continue.

"I thought you might have told Kaede already."

"I haven't yet; I've been waiting for the right moment to tell her everything."

It was at that moment that Kaede could no longer stay silent and listen behind the door. She turned and pushed open the door, ignoring the startled looks on the boy's faces. She quickly shut it behind her.

"What exactly are you keeping from me Sayu… or should I say Yasu?" Kaede met his gaze with a frown.

Yasu looked over at Lee, suddenly feeling the guilt build up. Lee nodded silently before he proceeded to walk out of the room and close the door behind him.

"So, I guess you overheard then." Yasu slowly pushed himself upright, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest.

"Yeah," Kaede nodded. "So, are you planning on telling me what you've been keeping from me?"

"Well, for starters. My real name is Yasu Akiyoshi." Yasu went silent for a moment to collect his thoughts before he continued to speak. "I went under the name Sayu in case my father decided to come looking for me. I even dyed my hair and started wearing glasses to throw him off. But at this point, he either hasn't been looking for me or hasn't been able to find me because I changed it. So I'm not sure if it really was worth the trouble since I don't know the answer to that."

It took a moment for Kaede to process the new information. So Sayu… err, Yasu's appearance wasn't real either.

"Why are you trying to avoid being found by your father?"

The look in Yasu's eyes suddenly became dark. "I… ran away from home. I didn't want to be known as a member of the Akiyoshi clan while I was away from home."

"I see…" Kaede sighed softly. It was a lot of information to take in, especially since she wasn't really familiar with whom the Akiyoshi clan was either. She couldn't help but wonder if there was anything else he was lying about. "Does that mean… the way you were acting around me was part of the getup too? Was it all an act?"

"N-No, of course not!" Yasu quickly shook his head. "I really do like you Kaede!"

Yasu's words took Kaede slightly off guard, but she didn't say anything. He took that as his cue to continue.

"I wasn't really sure how to approach you when I first ran into you at the Library. But when you lost that bracelet, I knew that would be my chance to see you again." Yasu smiled at the memory, looking at the bracelet dangling from Kaede's wrist. "After that, I figured out you worked at the Hospital when I saw you going there one day wearing the medical ninja uniform and—"

"Wait," Kaede held up a hand to stop Yasu from speaking. "So you lied to me when you said you didn't know I worked at the Hospital? Did you use that hand injury I treated as an excuse to see me?"

"W-Well…" Yasu trailed off.

That was all the proof Kaede needed. She turned to face the door, but not before turning to look at Yasu one last time.

"Honestly Sayu— I mean, Yasu— I'm not sure what to believe right now. I need some time to think this through. So for now, I'd like it if we talked about this some other time."

"B-But, Kaede—"

"I'll have another nurse come in to check on you later. I really need to get back to work." Kaede walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. She sighed, slowly dragging a hand over her face.

'_What the hell… how am I supposed to trust or believe anything else he's told me now?'_

* * *

"Can I get an order of some dango and green tea?"

"Sure, coming right up."

Temari sighed, propping her elbow on the table as she patiently waited for her dango and tea. After having several last minute meetings for the preparation of the Chūnin Exams the past week with and occasionally without Shikamaru, Temari was more than ready for the exams to begin. Despite the exams occurring twice a year, planning for them never got any easier. And neither did her job as an ambassador, but unlike a certain Nara heir and boyfriend of hers, she wasn't one to complain about her work load. Temari thought it was an honor in itself to be the representative of Sunagakure and she took great pride in that.

'_I'll certainly be looking forward to the upcoming festival here. I wonder how the festivals are here compared to the ones back home.' _Temari stared outside with a slight dazed expression.

"So there you are. I should've known you'd be here." Temari snapped out of her reverie, turning to look up at the person that stood in front of her.

"Kankuro," Temari stared at her brother, her dazed expression being replaced with a look of surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow."

Kankuro took a seat across from Temari. "Gaara thought it would be better to get here a little early and get settled in. In a way, showing up a little early shows how much our village wants to keep a good relation with Konohagakure."

"I suppose so," Temari nodded. "The point of holding the exams in one location is to improve relations with other villages and preventing war."

"So anyway, how are things going over on your end?" Kankuro inquired.

"Well, things are finally starting to settle down a bit with all the planning. But since the exams haven't even started yet, I won't be surprised if things get hectic again."

"Yeah, no kidding," Kankuro chuckled under his breath. The thought of when he took the Chūnin Exams the first time with Gaara and Temari only proved that statement. "I heard Konohagakure is holding a festival after the exams are over. Do you plan to come home right after the exams or stay for the festival?"

"I've never been to a festival here, so I think I'll stay for the festivities." Temari nodded.

"I see," Kankuro watched as a waiter put a plate of dango and tea in front of Temari. She thanked them before taking a sip of her tea. "Do you plan to go with anyone in particular?"

Temari raised an eyebrow at Kankuro's question before she put her cup down. It wasn't really like him to care or ask about her love life. Then again, she never really had one to begin with until recently. She hadn't out right told her siblings she was dating Shikamaru since she hadn't had the opportunity to. But Gaara and Kankuro could both tell from the way she spoke or acted when she talked about him there was something going on between them. More than what usually went on between a diplomatic liaison and her escort. "Possibly…"

"It's that guy who's been escorting you, Shikamaru Nara, right?" A sly grin made its way to Kankuro's face.

"You know, it's a little odd to hear you take an interest in my love life. Why the sudden interest anyway?" Temari bristled slightly at his grin.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn't it?" Kankuro shrugged. "It's fine with me if you are, you can date whoever you want. I just never thought you'd be up for a long distance relationship."

"I know what you're thinking." Temari sighed exasperated. "I realize those kind of relationships don't usually work out. But, I'm willing to take my chances. There's always a risk when you form a bond with another person; whether you're in a romantic relationship with them or not."

"That's true, you got a point there." Kankuro nodded before he stood up from his seat. "But anyway, I'm gonna go check on Gaara. So I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

"Sure, tell Gaara that he can expect to see me soon as well." Temari gave Kankuro a short wave goodbye before she popped a dango into her mouth. _'Even if I said I'd take my chances, I wonder if we both really would be cut out for a long distance relationship…'_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Author Note**__: Okay, I know this is late, but apparently Ino's mother actually made an appearance in a filler episode of Naruto Shippuden. And she hasn't been given a proper name. Neither the anime nor I have given her a name. I figured since she's making another appearance in my story, I should at least give her one. Unless stated otherwise by Kishimoto, her name will be Shizuka Yamanaka. Other than that, enjoy the story everyone! And have a safe & happy Holiday! ^-^_

* * *

Kaede stared at her tea with a glazed expression, watching the steam rise from her cup.

'_So, Sayu's real name is Yasu…'_ Kaede sighed under her breath. Since overhearing the truth about Yasu a few days ago, their last conversation wouldn't stop echoing in the back of her mind.

_"Does that mean… the way you were acting around me was part of the get-up too? Was it all an act?"_

_"N-No, of course not!" Yasu quickly shook his head. "I really do like you Kaede!"_

'_Even though he sounded genuine, it's harder for me to trust anything else he says now. I'm not even sure I want to know what else he could be hiding or lying about.'_ Kaede lifted the cup to her lips before she took a slow sip of her tea.

"Morning, Kaede," Ino sat down at the kitchen table across from Kaede and smiled. "You glad the Chūnin Exams are finally starting today?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kaede set down her cup of tea.

"You guess?" Ino knitted her brows. "I figured you'd be relieved that the exams are finally starting after all this waiting and preparation we've been doing, especially with that festival that's coming up afterwards. Which reminds me; I gotta remember to ask Sai-kun if he's planning on going with anyone to the festival."

"I've just… had a lot on my mind this past weekend. That's all." Kaede looked off to the side when she noticed a mischievous glint appear in Ino's eyes. A look she unfortunately knew all too well.

"Really, do tell." Ino laced her fingers together and rested her chin on top of them. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Sayu, would it?"

"Well, the thing is…" Kaede began, but abruptly cut herself off as Ino's mother, Shizuka, entered the kitchen.

"Good morning girls." Shizuka smiled.

"Good morning," Ino and Kaede returned the greeting.

"You two are up earlier than usual." Shizuka chuckled as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"Shizune-sensei wants the medical ninja helping with the Chūnin Exams to come in a little early today. She's going to brief us over some last minute instructions. Our work for the exams doesn't really start until the third stage begins, which is the stage where shinobi who've survived the Forest of Death compete against each other in a tournament. So it's sort of a normal work day for us until then." Kaede explained.

"I see, well that makes sense. Would you two like some breakfast before you go?" Shizuka offered.

"Sure, sounds great." Ino smiled at her mother before she turned to Kaede and lowered her voice. "Okay, now what's this about Sayu?"

"I'll tell you later, Ino." Kaede waved off Ino's question with her hand.

"Aw, not this again Kaede," Ino pouted. "Why can't you just tell me now?"

"I promise I'll tell you later, okay?"

Thankfully, the doorbell rang before Ino could prod any answers out of Kaede.

"I'll get it!" Kaede quickly stood up from her seat at the table to answer the door. However, had she known who was at the door, she would've allowed Shizuka to answer it.

"Hey, stranger…"

Kaede stood there silently, suddenly feeling a wave of terror wash over her until she forced herself to open her mouth and reply.

"S… Shikamaru, hey,"

'_I haven't seen Shikamaru since I ate dinner with his family last week. Like I need a reminder of that when I'm still trying to figure out this mess with Sayu… UGH, I MEAN YASU! DAMMIT!'_ Kaede could feel the awkward and tension in the air as she greeted Shikamaru. And judging from Shikamaru's non-verbal cues, he was starting to feel it as well.

"Listen, uh…" Shikamaru coughed into his hand before he pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. "I just came by to deliver something. Apparently, there was a different Courier Ninja delivering the mail today and my guess is that he didn't have the best sense of direction around here. So I somehow got your letter by mistake."

"Oh, I see." Kaede reached out and took the letter in Shikamaru's hand. "Thanks for going through the trouble."

"No problem, I figured I'd do it while I still had time to. I'm gonna have my hands full proctoring these exams this week." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.

"I understand," Kaede gave a small nod of her head. "Ino and I… we'll most likely be staying busy at the Hospital and healing the injured shinobi that participate in the exams."

"Yeah, anyway, guess that's my cue to leave. I gotta meet up with the other proctors this morning; the written exam will be starting pretty soon."

"Okay," Kaede watched Shikamaru turn around and begin his walk down the road. He suddenly stopped after a few steps before he turned to look over his shoulder and meet her gaze.

"Hey, when all this Chūnin Exam business is said and done…" Shikamaru trailed off for a moment before he continued. "I'd like it if we had a chance to talk again."

Kaede stared slightly wide-eyed at Shikamaru, but slowly nodded her head in reply before she closed the door.

"Hey, who was at the door?" Ino shouted from the kitchen.

"Delivery boy," Kaede lied, waving her letter in her hand.

The last thing she needed to do was rile Ino up even more by bringing up Shikamaru.

"Oh, is that a love letter?" Ino shot Kaede a teasing grin.

"N-No, geez, is that all you ever think about, Ino?" A light blush crossed Kaede's cheeks before she looked down at the return address. "Hey, wait a minute… this is from my parents."

"Your parents sent you a letter?" Shizuka poked her head out of the kitchen. "I hope they're doing well."

"Me too, it's been a while since we've talked. I wonder how they're doing back home." Kaede opened up the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Ino waited in anticipation as Kaede read over the letter silently before she slipped it back into the envelope.

"So, what did the letter say?" Ino suddenly inquired.

"Ino, don't be so nosy." Shizuka came out from the kitchen holding a plate of food for her daughter and Kaede, placing them on the table.

"No, it's okay. I don't mind telling her." Kaede smiled reassuringly. "But it looks like I might be going home to visit soon."

"Why, did something happen back home?" Ino looked up from her food with a worried expression.

"You could say that. Apparently my mom is pregnant, so it looks like I'm not going to be an only child anymore." Kaede smiled a little.

"Really, that sounds like wonderful news Kaede." Shizuka smiled and took a seat at the table. "Does she know if it's going to be a boy or a girl yet?"

"She said she told the doctor she didn't want to know the gender of the baby because she wants it to be a surprise this time. Naturally, my Dad is hoping for a son."

"I see; well there's nothing wrong with that." Shizuka chuckled.

"Do you know how far along your mother is?" Ino took a bite of her toast.

"No, she didn't say in the letter." Kaede shook her head before tearing off a piece of her toast. "But she said that she's had to take it easy and is resting at home right now. Since my dad is probably out working now, that's probably all the more reason for me to go home and see how she's doing. Plus, I'm sure she could use the company if she's at home by herself most of the day."

"Well, it has been a few years since you've seen them, right? I'm sure they'd both be happy to see how much their daughter has grown." Shizuka reassured.

"Yeah, it would be nice to see them again. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them."

Other than the occasional care package from her parents or exchange of letters and/or photos, Kaede hasn't had much contact with them since she's been so focused on becoming a medical-nin in Konohagakure. Now that she was getting news about a new baby brother or sister, it reminded her just how much she was missing out on back home.

"Then you should go see them." Ino urged. "I guess the only question left is, when?"

"I'm not sure, but I know it'll have to be after the Chūnin Exams are finished." Kaede looked down at her food before she picked up her bowl of rice and began to eat.

* * *

"So, does everyone understand their instructions?" Shizune stood before the medical-nin assigned to help with the Chūnin Exams.

"Yes ma'am." The group of medical-nin responded in unison.

"Good, you're dismissed then." Shizune ushered them out of the main lobby of the Hospital.

"_Well, least that part is over." _Kaede mentally sighed in relief.

"Kaede, could I speak with you for a moment?" Shizune motioned for Kaede with her hand.

'_Or so I thought…'_ Kaede nodded before walking towards her sensei.

"I know this is short notice, but the nurse that was assigned to check on Sayu earlier has recently reported sick this morning." Shizune gave an apologetic smile before she continued. "And since you were his original caretaker, I'll need you to resume checking in on his condition periodically."

"Wait, Sayu? But that's not his…" Kaede suddenly trailed off.

'_That's right; I almost forgot Lee and I are probably the only ones who know his real name.' _Kaede mentally kicked herself for not remember such a detail.

"I mean, he's not… feeling better?"

"Well, judging from his check-up yesterday he seems to be doing a little better. But we just wanna keep him here for observation just few more days before we release him. I'll just need you to keep checking his condition and keep the other nurses posted as well. Fortunately, the timing works out pretty well since he should be released from the Hospital before you have to go help with the Chūnin Exams."

"Um, yeah, I can do that."

'_It's not like I've really got a say in the matter at this point…_' Kaede didn't really want to face Yasu again, let alone talk to him. She still wanted time to sort out her thoughts about what she was going to say to him. And after hearing news about her family and Shikamaru wanting to talk with her after the exams, there was almost no room for that in her mind.

"Great," Shizune smiled. "There's not much you really have to do for him right now. Just bring his breakfast to his room and give him a quick check-up."

"Alright, I'll go and get started then." Kaede nodded a little.

After bidding Shizune goodbye, Kaede made her way to the cafeteria to get Yasu's breakfast to bring it up to his room.

'_No turning back now.'_ Kaede stared down at the tray as she stood in front of the door to Yasu's room.

After taking a deep breath, Kaede knocked on the door before she spoke. "Ya…I mean… Sayu, I'm coming in."

Kaede opened the door with one hand before closing it, holding the tray with the other.

"Kaede, you're here." Yasu turned his head away from the window to look at her, unable to contain his surprise.

Kaede merely nodded her head before she approached his bed, gently setting his tray on his lap.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd be back after... well you know." Yasu stared down at his food before he gave Kaede a small smile.

Kaede remained silent, but instead of being put off by it, Yasu took it as his signal to continue speaking.

"For the record, I don't blame you if you're still upset with me for hiding the truth from you. I probably would be too if I were in your place. But I'd be happy to explain everything and—"

"I didn't come here so you could explain yourself to me." Kaede cut Yasu off before he could finish speaking. "It was my sensei's order to come and check on you."

"Oh, I see." Kaede could clearly see the disappointed look on Yasu's face. She almost felt guilty for acting cold towards him. Almost.

"So I would appreciate it if we not discuss what happened last week so I can concentrate while I give you your check-up."

"Okay, I understand."

'_I didn't think he'd be so cooperative.'_ Kaede gently placed her first two fingers on his wrist to check his pulse before she recorded his pulse rate down on a clipboard. Once she finished recording his numbers and completed his check-up, she took a step back from Yasu.

"All your numbers show that you're doing okay. You should be out of here in a few days, but I'll be checking in periodically just to stay on the safe side. I would recommend that you continue to take it easy, but I'm sure you're well aware of that now."

"That sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks, Kaede."

"Don't mention it." Kaede looked down at Yasu with a frown as he clasped her wrist in both his hands.

"Yasu, please don't…"

"Kaede, I want to be honest with you. I know I wasn't being honest with you before, but I want to change that."

"I appreciate you wanting to be honest with me, but I already told you that I'm just not ready to talk about that right now."

"Why can't you just hear me out, Kaede?"

"Will you stop badgering me, haven't you done enough already?!"

Yasu flinched under Kaede's glare as she pulled her wrist out of his hands. But in the midst of pulling her hand free, one of the charms from her bracelet came off and fell to the floor. It wasn't until she saw Yasu looking at the floor with a guilt-stricken look that she realized what had happened. Kaede stared down at the charm below her feet, blinking away the tears that began to form at the corner of her eyes.

"K-Kaede, I'm sorry! I didn't mean…"

"You've done more than enough, Yasu."

Instead of waiting for a reply from Yasu, Kaede picked up the charm from her bracelet before she left the room without another word.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N**: Okay, I know this update is LOOOONG overdue, but I'm going to spare you my personal & academic reasons and just let those who have been waiting read on. Hope you all enjoy this update! Remember I don't take ownership of any of the Naruto characters or the Naruto plot Kishimoto created. I only take ownership of the OC characters and this story of course.

* * *

By the fifth day of the Chunin Exams, the number of shinobi participating were thinned out through the written exam and the Forest of Death. While the shinobi remaining were relieved they made it through the first two trials, Kaede felt relieved that the preliminary round for the third stage of the exams was starting today. This particular stage was occurring the same day as Yasu's discharge from the hospital, which meant no more 'checking in' on health and dealing with awkward silences. Now Kaede could focus on work for the exams—Shikamaru was no exception.

"The winner of the first match: Kasumi Miyamoto." Shikamaru, the current proctor of the third stage, gestured a hand to the brunette haired girl standing on his right.

Kasumi gave a sigh of relief before she slowly pushed herself off the ground and made a beeline for her squad. Shikamaru smiled a little as he watched Kasumi's teammates and sensei congratulate her.

'_Hard to believe I'm the one proctoring the exams now. It's only been a few years since I've passed them. Time really does fly…'_ Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh, and turned his attention to Kasumi's fallen opponent, Gin Takahashi.

It wasn't long before four medics came into the arena to tend to Gin; two of the medics that arrived just so happened to be Kaede and Ino.

"Shikamaru, could you give me a quick run-down on what happened?" Ino looked up at Shikamaru briefly before she turned Gin over on his back. Kaede approached Gin and gently placed two fingers on his neck to check his pulse.

"Yeah, this guy's opponent was a genjutsu user. Though he did manage to break the genjutsu, it wasn't without its drawback." Shikamaru frowned.

"He had to break the genjutsu through pain to bring him back to his senses, didn't he?" Kaede stared down at the stomach wound Gin had given himself with his own kunai.

"Alright, we better hurry and get this guy upstairs." Ino pulled out the stretcher.

With the help of Kaede and the other two medics, they gently placed Gin on the stretcher and carried him out to the second floor of the tower to tend to his wounds. It wasn't until Kaede started to leave that Shikamaru noticed the bracelet he had given her wasn't on her wrist.

'_I'll treasure it, always…'_ Kaede's promise to Shikamaru to treasure his gift suddenly echoed in his mind.

'_Now's not the time to be worried about that, Shikamaru.'_ Shikamaru mentally chided himself.

Once the medics left, Shikamaru turned to face the exam board to announce who would be fighting in the next round.

* * *

After the preliminary rounds ended, a few medics were required to stay in the Forest of Death's Tower in order to tend to the genin whose injuries needed urgent medical treatment. Unfortunately for Kaede, Ino, and Sakura, they were all required to stay until after their usual work hours. By the time the girls finished their work, the sun had set and the moon was high.

"Man, it's been ages since I've felt this worn out." Kaede trudged through the empty streets of Konoha with Sakura, and Ino.

"Well, at least we've halfway through the exams." Sakura gave a small smile. "The final rounds don't start until next month."

"Yeah, that's true." Kaede reluctantly nodded. "But it still doesn't change the fact that my arms feel about as useful as udon noodles."

"Well, why don't we all go to the hot springs?" Ino proposed. "I heard it's still open around this time of night, and I bet it would all do us some good. And besides, it's been a while since we've had a chance to just hang out and talk together some place nice."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Sakura agreed.

"Yeah, and I don't think I've paid the hot springs a visit in a while either." Kaede gave a short nod.

* * *

"Aah," Ino sighed as she sat down in the hot spring. "This is nice. We definitely need to come here more often. This is probably one of the best places in the village to de-stress."

"Speaking of stress how was your mission, Sakura?" Kaede turned to face Sakura. "Considering you just got back from a mission, and you had to help out with the exams right after. I wouldn't be surprised if you were feeling a little stressed out from it all."

"Well, sort of." Sakura looked off to the side, thinking back on her mission with Naruto, Kakashi and Sai. "We were assigned to protect and escort a priestess' daughter back to her village. Of course the mission wore me out a bit, but Naruto is partially to blame for that too."

"Well, that's nothing new, right?" Ino deadpanned.

"What did he do exactly?" Kaede peered at Sakura's face.

"He kept asking me to talk Tsunade-sama into letting him participate in the Chunin Exams. She had already told him no when he asked her the first time, and she's not exactly one to change her mind once she's made it up." Sakura shook her head. "Since he couldn't get anyone else to take his place in the escort mission, he couldn't back out of it and participate in the exams. Not to mention it wouldn't be fair if she gave Naruto special treatment by allowing him to participate in the exams at the last minute. That wouldn't be fair to the other participants either."

"I see," Kaede sank further into the water. "Sounds like it was just bad timing, poor Naruto."

"I don't think you'll need to worry about him. He might still classify as a genin, but he doesn't need a title to prove that he's gotten stronger." Sakura stared up at the ceiling, the image of her blonde haired teammate flashing through her mind.

"Hey, if we're going to be talking about guys, you might as well spill what's up with you and Sayu lately, Kaede." Ino interrupted.

"Do we have to talk about him now?" Kaede grumbled under her breath.

"I take it something happened?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Probably, but I wouldn't know what it's about. Kaede, you promised that you'd tell, remember?" Ino reminded.

"It's not like I was going to keep it from you forever or anything." Kaede focused her gaze on the ripples in the water to avoid Ino's eyes. "I just haven't found the right time to talk about it."

"Well, now is a good a time as any, isn't it?" Ino insisted.

"Ino, if Kaede doesn't want to talk about it now, you probably shouldn't push her for an answer." Sakura chided.

"Oh, but I bet you wanna know just as much as I do. Don't you, Sakura?" Ino pointed an accusing finger toward Sakura.

"I-I didn't say that!"

"It's written all over your face, so don't try and deny it. You weren't against it when I first asked Kaede about him back at the flower shop."

"Hey, don't try and put me in the same category as you. Besides, asking for an answer and forcing an answer out of someone are two different things!"

"Same category, what's that supposed to mean!?"

'_At this rate, those two will go on forever.'_ Kaede let out a weary sigh.

If Kaede had to choose between talking about Yasu or listen to Sakura and Ino bicker, she already knew which she would rather do.

"The truth is, he hasn't exactly been… honest with me."

Kaede's words suddenly made Sakura and Ino stop their verbal battle before they exchanged a look of confusion.

"Wait, hang on a sec." Ino spoke up. "What has he been lying about exactly?"

Kaede grew silent, debating whether or not she should tell them everything or not. On one hand, she felt that it was wrong that Yasu hadn't been honest with her; on the other hand, she also felt that it wasn't her place to disclose Yasu's information regarding his family issues, or his reasons behind having a fake name like Sayu.

"I know this sounds cliché, but it's stuff that's kind of complicated. Stuff that he's been hiding from me." Kaede looked down at the water.

"Okay, so this… stuff that you learned about him, how did you find out about it?" Sakura inquired.

"I happened to overhear what was really going on when he was talking with Lee at the hospital, but I don't know the full story." Kaede shook her head.

"Does Sayu know that you overheard?" Ino piped up.

"Yeah, he does. He offered to explain, but I sort of... blew him off. When I say that out loud now and think about what I said to him… it probably wasn't right of me to be so dismissive and react the way I did. There are two sides to every story after all, but I think a part of me was afraid to find out what the other side was. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I was so quick to dismiss him."

"Would you rather go on not knowing the truth, Kaede?" Sakura stared at her quizzically.

"Well…" Kaede sighed. "I guess now that I know part of what's going on, I can't just pull the wool over my eyes and act like I don't know anything. I'd just be lying to myself, and I'm still working on breaking that habit. And you know... it's weird that I didn't realize until now that it's kind of ironic. I got upset at a guy that wasn't being honest with me, and yet I'm still having trouble being honest with myself and others."

Ino shot Kaede a pointed look.

"Then why not try a different approach?" Ino suggested. "Try being honest about how you're feeling with us."

"What, you mean right now?" Kaede's eyes dilated a bit.

"Yeah," Sakura gave a small shrug. "Nobody else is around to hear you—except Ino and me. With this approach, you'd be honest with yourself and your friends."

"Um…" Kaede turned to look at Ino for her response.

"I won't push you this time if you don't want to, Kaede." Ino gave a reassuring smile.

Kaede contemplating her thoughts about the times she spent with both Yasu and Shikamaru.

"I… even though I've tried moving on by meeting or going out with other people, I'm still… I'm still in love with Shikamaru. That hasn't changed." Kaede exhaled softly, ignoring the heat that rose to her cheeks. "I really want to be happy for him as his best friend, but it's just so hard because I also want to be happy, with him. It's hard to picture myself being happy with someone else, but I think Sayu has a right to know how I feel too if he really does have feelings for me."

Sakura and Ino both stayed quiet for a moment before Ino decided to speak up.

"So I guess all that's left to decide right now is when to tell Sayu the truth."

"Yeah, I think that might be one of my harder decisions. This whole 'being honest with myself and my friends' is definitely easier said than done."

* * *

**Evafan24**: I hope switching back and forth between the name Sayu/Yasu wasn't too redundant. Since Kaede chose not to expose who Yasu really was, she decided to continue using his fake name with Ino and Sakura for the moment. But I digress, Kaede is making progress with being honest slowly, but surely. What Kaede has to figure out right now is when she's gonna break that news to Yasu about her feelings regarding Shikamaru. And speaking of which, wonder when those two are gonna get their chance to 'talk'. Hm... guess you'll all have to wait till next time. ^~


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